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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25907800">Paging Doctor Samuels</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Comeradebeeb/pseuds/Comeradebeeb'>Comeradebeeb</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Borderlands (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Established Relationship, F/M, Morally Ambiguous Character, Revenge, Rewrite, yeah yeah maya antihero lets get it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:08:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>67,321</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25907800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Comeradebeeb/pseuds/Comeradebeeb</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(An AU in which during the events of TFTBL, Cassius is killed and FFS never took place.)</p>
<p>A year after Handsome Jack was killed, Maya finally figures out what happened to Krieg. As the years go by, she grows angrier and angrier at the woman who was in charge of all the testing that he went through. Nearly 7 years later, Maya finds out that she had been looking for Samuels in the wrong place.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Krieg/Maya (Borderlands)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue: Dirty Little Secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>Gaige had a lump in her throat. She'd been keeping it in her for a few months now, but the nightmares kept persisting. She'd kept her findings secret ever since she found them, but a whole year later it was eating away at her. Every day that she got closer to them she felt like a fib. She finally had friends that treated her like an adult. She didn't wanna ruin that… but that meant she would be hiding stuff from them. She didn't like the feeling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A year ago, they had raided the Hyperion info stockade. Gaige was the only one who saw anything that came out of there besides the information regarding Jack and the vault. There was a shocking amount of information in there. About everybody she knew, including herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sabotaged it. Every file Hyperion had on them was corrupted. Not before she backed it up on her ECHO of course. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She'd switched out memory chips by that point though. She'd only found it recently when going through a bunch of Deathtraps accessories on her last visit to her father's place. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It sat in her knapsack, practically burning a hole into her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had to tell somebody. There was so much stuff there, if Hyperion had it at one point then it could've been sold to somebody else and used as blackmail. All of her friends’ deepest secrets stayed imprinted on a hard drive. It had nothing between it and the universe but Gaige and the thin layer of plastic that held it together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn't know why she couldn't just destroy it. It was almost like she felt a sense of sick power holding it. She found herself pouring through the files sometimes on her computer for entertainment. Like reading a drama novel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn't share it with anybody.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not until now, at least.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Maya. Could you come here for a sec?"  Gaige had said one night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah sure, what's wrong?" Maya stood up and went over to her, leaving the other four at the campfire. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was deep into the night. The air was dry and as cold as a summer could be on Pandora. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gaige sat on the hood of the group's technical. Her legs were tucked in close to her chest. She looked back at the others and took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I need to tell you something." She said. "Remember back at the info stockade where I had you guys wait outside while I went data mining?" Gaige looked up at Maya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "Yeah. Why?" She nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I found a whole database full of information about us. Like, everything about everybody. I got rid of everything I could find but… I haven't told anybody. I don't know how much information they could still have or who else has it. I'm sorry..." Gaige said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "What? Database?" She repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There were millions of files on their server. They had our entire lives documented. All of us. I wanted to tell you, I figured only like, you and Axton might understand but… Axton doesn't really take things seriously. I don't know how to tell the others." Gaige explained. Maya nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They probably had Angel spying on everybody. It doesn't surprise me." Maya sat down next to Gaige and put her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it's ok. That was a whole year ago and nothing too bad has happened. Nothing targeting us at least. What matters is that it's gone now.  Hyperion is under new management, I heard. They got this new young guy in charge. I heard he fired everybody on the spot and started hiring old atlas employees hiding out on Promethea. He said he wanted to start investing in bringing them back." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really? Sheesh. I hadn't listened to the news in a while. Athena's gonna have a fun time with that." Gaige shrugged.  "There's one other thing though, Maya," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, go on." Maya nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I still have all those files." Gaige looked down at her feet, ashamed of herself. Maya just nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Do you?" She said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. It's actually in my bag right now." Gaige moped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded again. "Ok." She said, trying to act nonchalantly. She bit the inside of her cheek a bit. "How much of it did you actually see?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know everything about everybody except Zer0. I spent approximately 60 hours looking through everything. There's things in there that I don't even think my doctor knows about me. It's disturbing. I don't know why I spent so much time on it, Maya. I was curious. You guys barely ever talk about yourselves deeply and I wanted to know more. I feel like a shit friend for all of this." Gaige started tearing up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, hey it's alright. I'm not mad!" She giggled nervously. "You know if you wanted to know you could've asked! It's ok, Gaige. I probably would've told you anything in there anyways. I'm sure there's not even that much in the first place. Nobody even knows where Atheneas is anymore! People used to shuttle drop thinking they were on Promethea. They can't know </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> much. I'm sure it's the same for the guys too. Don't worry about it." Maya reassured her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There is that much! There's everything!" Gaige exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya narrowed her eyes quizzically. "Prove it." She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When you were 15 you wanted to be an actress because you met a boy for the first time and he taught you how to dance and you wanted to be in musicals with him on Eden 6. You had your first kiss with him days later, before he left and you never saw him again. You were so heartbroken that you didn't leave your bed for weeks. Everybody thought that you were sick and that the world was ending because of it,  and they put the entire planet on a hard lockdown." Gaige said, matter-of-factly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "I didn't know they did that." She whispered, remembering everything. "How? Nobody knew. Sophis didn't know. My tutors had no idea." She whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"See! I told you!" Gaige said. Maya went quiet for a while, thinking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What else is on there." She eyed Gaige's bag. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do… do you wanna see?" Gaige asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I'm curious now," Maya said, covering her mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's how I felt." Gaige unzipped her bag and took out the memory chip. "Can I see your ECHO for a sec?" She asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded and handed it over. "Here." She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gaige took off the protective case of Maya's ECHO 2 and carefully removed the back panel of the device, making sure not to touch any of the wires so as to not risk the thing blowing up in her face. She nudged the memory chip out of place and slipped in the one with all of the dirt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Be careful with it. These things don't like to be tampered with very much." She slid the backing back on and handed Maya back the ECHO, the case, and her memory chip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded and opened up her HUD. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's in the notes," Gaige said, noticing Maya scrolling through her digistruct inventory.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You have so many little gadgets in here," Maya said, closing the inventory and following Gaige's directions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's just old stuff. I'm never gonna finish most of them. Look, okay, scroll down to the tab marked with the magnifying glass and the green tee emoji." Gaige sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya snorted. "Really?" She giggled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh shut up.  It was funny at the time." Gaige blushed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Woah," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were tons of files in there. It was more than just them.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lilith, Roland, Mordecai, Brick, Athena, Wilhelm, Sheriff Nisha, and a whole bunch of names she didn't recognize were sorted alphabetically in there, including her and her friends. Even Claptrap had a file. Lots of the names were red. She couldn't open those. Others had 'DECEASED' written next to them in smaller text. She knew it wasn't up to date because Lilith was marked dead when Roland wasn't. It was eerie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya scrolled down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>'Subject 0033221' appeared on the screen. The file was pinned along with the files for Maya, Gaige, and all of the other vault hunters they knew. She selected it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A million more files and documents appeared on the screen. Most of them were labeled as 'Log. No.', going numerically until a long string of video and audio files appeared. Most of them were labeled 'Angelware.mp3/mp4' but some of them were older, not taken from Angel, but another ECHO device. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya plugged in her earphones and clicked on a random audio file.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her eyebrows furrowed for a second before she closed her eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gaige couldn't tell which tape she was listening to. She began hearing muffled screaming, but she couldn't make out what anybody was saying. She sat back and twiddled her thumbs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya covered her mouth in shock as the next file began playing. This one, Gaige couldn't hear at all. Maya was pale in the face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat there together as Maya drank in everything that was being recited to her, exactly as real as the day it happened. A time capsule on a time capsule of memories that should've been forgotten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya pulled the buds out of her ears and set the ECHO down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You see what I mean," Gaige whispered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't tell me that was-" Maya choked out. She looked like she was tearing up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You recognize the voice too don't you? Look at the text files. It's him." Gaige said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shook her head. "No. He wouldn't want me to see this. This is wrong." She wiped her face. "I'm sorry Maya. I shouldn't have kept it for so long." Gaige sighed, apologizing again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not your fault. This was all documented for a reason. They wanted other people to see it. I'm glad it was us and not someone else." Maya sniffed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you think I should get rid of it?" Gaige asked softly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya sat in the silence for a while. Her face was dark in the night air. The moonlight reflected off her silky hair, making her look catlike and mean. Her eyes narrowed. She put her face in her hands again before taking a deep breath and fixing her posture. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't tell the others about this, okay? I'll take care of it." Maya said. She was staring off at the horizon. She was frowning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gaige nodded solemnly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanna keep it for a while, Gaige. Is that okay with you?" Maya turned to look at her suddenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The look in her eyes made Gaige a tiny bit uneasy. "I just want it off of me. I trust you." Gaige said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya suddenly wrapped her arms around Gaige's shoulders and squeezed her tightly. Gaige hugged back. She swallowed her urge to start bawling then and there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're like a sister to me, Gaige. Don't worry about this anymore, okay? Just keep working on your engineering stuff, keep in contact with your dad. You're gonna end up going to a good school because of this, you know. You have a lot going for you." Maya said. Gaige sniffled. "I'm here if you need to talk. Just don't… don't keep secrets for so long at least. Especially if it's about Hyperion from now on. Okay?" Maya moved away slightly, gripping Gaige's shoulders firmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gaige nodded. "I promise." She cried. Maya nodded and patted her before letting go and standing up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm gonna fix this. Don't worry," she said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya went back to the campfire with the boys. Gaige's head was spinning as tears dripped slowly from her eyes. She felt like a weight was lifted off of her, while another feeling in her gut told her that somehow she'd just made everything worse. She was confused and scared.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why did Maya want to keep that thing?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Grudge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>She slid the window up gently, not causing any noises to be heard. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The walls were covered in years of graffiti. The floodlights lining the city were blazing back and forth; the remote cameras that accompanied the lights were long disconnected. The swinging lights provided fear-fueled reminders of what the city used to be, despite the attempts of some children who had made games of dancing around them at night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Opportunity was a crumbling shell of what it used to be. The city was now home to Pandora's most proud folks. As the sight of a small Crimson Raider outpost overlooking a city filled with decapitated statues of Handsome Jack, large intricate murals dedicated to the remembrance of figures like Commander Roland, and Bloodwing, the population loved to call itself Pandorans. They were rowdy, violent, and by God did they love Shakespeare. Nobody was going to take that away from them. Handsome Jack served as the universe's example to leave the planet the fuck alone, or else. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya kept close to the wall, not letting her feet step farther than her body length away as she crept along the side. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was deep into the night. Maya had gotten there a little late. Most of the working residents would be getting up right now. She had to be fast.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She saw a light turn on in a room across the hall. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya moved in closer. The man in the other room was humming to himself softly, Maya could hear a kettle wirring and water running. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She slid her hand down her side and unsheathed a small dagger. It would be better than a gun for the moment.  Her Maliwan SMG was at the ready if things started to get nasty. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya ran into the room, tackling the man to the floor and pinning him down at the center of his back, pulling his arms backward so he couldn't move.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Who was your superior when you worked at the Hyperion Wildlife Preserve?" Maya shouted in the man's ear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wh- Who are you? I told you bastards that I'm done working for them! I've conformed to the bandit life! I changed my name and everything! Leave me alone!" The man whined.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Tell me! Or, you lose a finger." Maya held the dagger against the man's skin, pushing it in gently so that a small amount of blood began seeping out. The man squirmed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Samuels! Doctor Heather Samuels! Everybody knows that! Please! Let me go!" He cried. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya huffed. "Just making sure I have the right guy," she said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You two were good friends. You even knew Samuels after she was let go from the company. Tell me, where did she go?" Maya pressed her knife closer onto the man's finger. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>" I don't know! We lost contact! Jack wouldn't let anybody speak to ex-employees! He would've fed us to the mutants!" The man wailed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya cut one of the man's fingers off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You're making me very angry. Tell me the truth! Where is she?" She hissed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh god! Last I heard she was making a home for herself on Promethea. But that was 5 years ago! I swear I don't know anything else!" The man screamed in agony.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Promethea?" Maya said, shocked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Meridian City!" The man cried.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya raised her eyebrows. "Thank you for that," she said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Let me go… please." The man whimpered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm not gonna do that. You, sir, are partially responsible for murdering millions of people on this planet, and hurting many others." She cut off another finger.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man screamed. "I was just following orders! Please! The Crimson Raiders let me stay here! I know you're with them! I've heard your voice in the Torgue commercials they used to play!" He pleaded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh? They didn't let me know that they let someone like you here. That's a real shame honestly. I thought we were better than that." Maya said, casually striking off another finger. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As the man's screams turned into sobbing she decided enough was enough. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"If I had more space, I would've made your last moments so unbearable, you would be begging me to kill you. You're very lucky, you know. I hope when you see Jack in hell, you tell him how much he fucked you up, order-boy. Keep an eye out for Samuels. She's next." Maya whispered in the man's ear before reaching out and breaking his neck. He gargled softly in his final moments, eyes wide and blood coming out of his nose. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya stood up and washed her hands at the kitchen sink before taking the man's ECHO 3 and leaving the building. Nobody would notice the man was gone. It was no skin off her teeth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maya fast traveled back to Sanctuary.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It had been 6 years since Gaige had shown her all the information gathered at the info stockade. Maya had worked herself into a craze looking for Doctor Heather Samuels, the woman responsible for all the slag testing Krieg had gone through, the same woman who had murdered Tina's parents, the same woman who had invented the technology that led to Bloodwing's death.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya was furious. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She spent hours and hours tearing into that memory drive, reading up about everything she could about Krieg's slag testing, Doctor Samuels, and about the Hyperion testing facilities scattered around the continent. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her search began with Tannis, who vomited upon being asked a question by somebody other than Lilith. She let Maya listen to the tapes they recovered at the Wildlife Preserve, confirming that yes, it was in fact Doctor Samuels that took care of both Krieg and Tina.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then she went to Tina.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Three years ago on Tina’s 16-ish birthday, Mordecai and Brick surprised Tina with the news that they were going to be setting up a Crimson Raider base on Eden 6. Maya made sure to ask her before she left. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tina told Maya extensively about her time in the testing facility over a cup of strong tea and what Tina called "therapy chocolate". Maya made sure to hug her after she was done talking.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Samuels was in charge of both human and animal experimentation. One facility in the Arid Nexus and the other in the Wildlife Preserve.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then she went to Sir Hammerlock. She wrote him a few ECHO letters asking about the letter Krieg had gotten the summer they all went on vacation together. Hammerlock had to tell Krieg what the letter said in full. What Krieg had told Maya was a little different than what it originally was. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Samuels had gone off in some sappy ass apology to Krieg, claiming how he would always be in her mind as the worst regret of her life. It made Maya sick. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If she was actually sorry, she would've come and told him in person extensively and tried to fix some of the wrongs she had done to him, but instead, she had left a murder scene and a crappy essay about why she should be forgiven. That's what Maya thought, anyways.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya had been searching for any scrap of this woman for years, tracking down associates, listening to the Hyperion exclusive workers radio station, and just reading everything she could about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She felt like she'd aged 10 years in only 7.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had finally realized that she had been looking in the wrong place all these years. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She staggered back into her collapsed apartment building, now seething with vines and moss and different types of flowers. It almost looked like she was living inside a hill. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sanctuary had grown substantially in the past 7 years since it first took flight. It was now a lot more than the flying city. Many people considered Sanctuary the capital of Pandora. The Crimson Raiders held their heads high; they had gotten enough people to join in recent years that they were now respected amongst corporate-owned armies like Dahl or Vladof. Lilith had decided to keep the vault map a secret to the rest of the world in order to not bring any unwanted attention. It was a good thing too. Sanctuary had stuck floating in the sky even after Helios had fallen, and Hyperion had gone under new management. It stayed floating high in the sky when it was announced that Atlas was being brought up under financial support from Hyperion. It stayed when Vladof declared war on Dahl, and when Maliwan, in turn, declared war on Atlas. It stood still, untouched and unbothered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya had been promoted several times over the years, she was Lilith's, right-hand man. Gaige had gone to school to become a robotics engineer, Zer0 was off on God-knows-where, and Salvador was elected as the new sheriff of Lynchwood. Axton wasn't around much anymore. He'd been in a few documentaries off-planet and Maya had found some adult films he's starred in recently, so at least she knew he was doing good for himself. Krieg had stayed with Maya in Sanctuary. He had nowhere else to go. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya threw her bag down on her mattress and took off her shoes. Walking into the other room, she let down her hair. It had been growing out for a while now; it was down to her waist.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> She shook her head and took off her combat uniform, stripling down until she was only in her underwear. She put on a light robe to cover her shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not bothering to tie the robe closed, she walked over to her bookshelf and pulled out an old book, the spine had faded from years of use and the cover had strange kaleidoscope patterns on it that Maya couldn't seem to figure out the meaning behind. She opened the page to where her bookmark was sticking out and placed it open-faced on the floor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a circle of candles in the room, all at different stages of use. She had been using them to meditate for a while, along with the book she found when they first defeated the Warrior. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya sat down in the middle of the circle of candles and closed her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In groups of two, the candles flickered on seemingly by themselves around her, filling the room with the soft aroma of sea salt and lavender.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya took a deep breath inward and the flames grew long and blue-hot, nearly licking the ceiling. When she exhaled, they died down again. She did this continually, feeling the waves of heat circle around her like a pulse. She visualized the room around her in her head, noticing the patterns of the flames rising and falling around her as she breathed. She phaselocked the book in front of her and read off of the page it was open to, still keeping her eyes closed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>I am in complete control. The world and the moon and the sun move with me. I am the raindrops, I am the fire, I am the air. I am the river, I am the magma, I am the wind. I am the ocean, I am the earthquake, I am the lightning. I am the geyser, I am the volcano, I am the storm. Power flows in through my eyes and out through my fingertips. I give life and I take it away. I am balanced." </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She whispered it to herself a few times over, feeling the fire grow and die all around her in a cadence. She felt her worries melt away for a moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was at peace.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a knock on the door. Maya opened her eyes and the book came crashing down to the floor with a loud thud. The candles spurted up in large spouts of fire before going out as fast as they were lit. The room was engulfed in darkness.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Coming!" Maya called, standing up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She put the book back on the shelf and quickly tied her robe up to cover herself more.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew she had to get to Promethea now. She just needed the right opportunity. She had a lot of responsibility on Pandora now, she couldn't just up and leave unless there was good reason to. With the vault map safe with Lilith, and the other outer rim planets being patrolled by different teams of crimson raiders, there was really no point. She was gonna have to think about it more before doing anything.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya opened her front door to see Krieg standing there, holding something gingerly behind his back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The early bird gets the first head picking! It's sunrise time!" He announced.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya smiled. "You weren't gonna wait for me at the station today huh? I just got back home, big guy. Dunno if I'm ready to start the day over again just yet." She yawned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No, I-" He swallowed really hard. "Flowers." He choked out, holding out his hand and revealing a fist full of different flowers and animal parts. He gripped a little harder and Maya noticed an antenna twitch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Aw, Krieg! You're so thoughtful." She doted, taking the bouquet from him and hugging him. "Come in, you're gonna help me find a good spot for these." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside, and Krieg giggled in delight.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Sorry it's so dark in here, I haven't gotten the light bulbs replaced since last time Gaige was over." Maya began lighting candles around here and there so they could see better. "You're used to it by now though, right? My house is always dark." Maya sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg nodded. "It feels like a razorblade heated under white coals cut deep into my skin." He mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you. I try to keep it somewhat clean." Maya huffed, putting the bouquet in a light pink vase. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Which window should I put this in? I want it to catch as much sunlight as possible so the crab lily pods open up," she asked.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg closed his eye for a second in thought. "The bedroom!" He exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "Good idea. It'll get the most sunlight there." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She walked into the other room. Krieg followed close behind her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"There we go. It looks good!" Maya took a step back to admire it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll tear away anything that kills it. I'll grind it down with my molars until it pops in between my teeth like a ripe blueberry on a summer morning." Krieg gripped his fists so hard that Maya could almost hear his skin stretch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"They'll only last a week or two. That's how flowers are. Once you cut the stem it's dead. It just takes a while for it to wither away. You don't really need to look after it like you do for a growing plant." Maya sighed, sitting down on her mattress. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg rubbed his chin. "Next time." He growled to himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Next time you're out looking for plants, I'll come with you. We can take one home and grow it ourselves, how's that sound?" Maya leaned back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg chuckled and jumped on the mattress right next to Maya, making her bounce up off the bed for a second before coming back down and landing flat on her back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh!" She gasped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Is she dead!?" Krieg yelled, worried.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No, I'm fine." Maya laughed. "That definitely woke me up a little though!" She smiled wide. Krieg let out a deep sigh of relief and laid down next to her, arms stretched straight out at his sides.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We still got a few hours until sunrise, big guy. Did you wanna do anything else before going out or should I go get dressed again?" Maya looked over at him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg locked eyes with her and began humming to himself a bit. He moved his hands up to his face and unclasped the bottom part of his mask, pulling it slowly away from the rest of it. He'd gotten a newer one recently. It had two parts: an eyepatch and a respirator that looked like the bottom half of a skull. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He set the respirator on the nightstand next to Maya's mattress. His pink lips moved apart slightly when he breathed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up at the ceiling again. "Practice with me," he said softly. His voice was deep and rumbly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maya pursed her lips. "Okay. Tell me what you would say if you were meeting somebody for the first time and you were introducing yourself," Maya prompted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg squinted for a second. "Hello…" He said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What else?" Maya asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"My name is…" Krieg closed his eyes really hard. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Krieg. Your name is Krieg." Maya reminded him. He nodded. "Go ahead, you can start again as many times as you need to." Maya smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hello, my name is… Krieg. Nice to f-" he bit his lips closed and pounded the mattress with a closed fist in frustration.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey, hey. Just say what you wanna say and we'll work on it from there. Don't beat yourself up over this, you're doing so good!" Maya encouraged him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Nice to FINALLY ram my fist down your throat so hard that your jaw pops out of its socket!" Krieg exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya blinked "That's a new one." She said. Krieg frowned. "Not bad though! I totally got the message of what you were trying to say! Good job!" Maya smiled at him warmly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"My innards wanna come out and say hi," Krieg grunted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We can stop if you're feeling overwhelmed," Maya said sympathetically. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No!" Krieg yelled. "It's gotta be so perfect that your ears bleed! And your eyes water! And your tongue sets on fire!" He frowned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You've already impressed me, big guy. You've done so much for yourself already. I'm proud of you." Maya hugged him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg blushed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Tell me one more thing, though,"  Maya said. "What would you say to somebody who you cared about very deeply, somebody that you'd always wanna be around and support no matter what?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What color?" Krieg asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I dunno. I was thinking kinda tan, kinda tall I guess, wears a lot of orange." Maya snorted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg grimaced in disgust. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What?" Maya laughed. "You don't like my type?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"If she was blue, I would say 'I love you.'" Krieg said, turning onto his side and wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Only if." He grunted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Awh, really? You're making me all fuzzy!" Maya joked. "I love you too," she said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg was warm. His whole body felt like a large heated blanket wrapped tightly around her. Maya was tired. She had to tell him about Promethea eventually, she knew he wouldn't like her leaving. She let it sit in her head for a while as the sound of Krieg's heartbeat lulled her to sleep. Only fictitious evils could harm her there. A world where everything was perfect, and she wasn't so angry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She woke up to Krieg, carrying her around in his arms in the bridal position. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wha... what's going on?" She asked, still groggy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It's time!" Krieg said gleefully, stepping outside of Maya's apartment and to the exit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They had never missed a sunrise together in 7 years. Today wasn't going to be the day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya clung to Krieg as close as she could as he went out into the cold night air. The world was grey and dark, moments before the sun began to rise. Maya shivered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg made his way to their usual spot on the rooftop next to the Crimson Raider HQ. This time, being extra careful not to drop his precious cargo. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, standing up and stretching when they were finally there. She realized she was still in her robe from a few hours before and sat back down, scrunching herself up in a ball and hoping nobody saw her in her underwear. Krieg hadn't put the bottom half of his mask back on yet either. He wouldn't want anybody seeing the scars on his right cheek but her. They were both a mess at the moment.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya curled up next to Krieg as the sun began to rise. The air became much warmer and more like the Pandora they were used to. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Krieg?" Maya asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Mhm?" Krieg grunted, wrapping one of his large arms around her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you remember anything about before all of this happened? Like, anything at all? It doesn't need to be something specific either," Maya asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg was silent. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I know I ask about it all the time. I'm just curious, that's all. You don't need to answer," Maya said, feeling the sun rays run over her face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"There were mountains," Krieg said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya looked up at him. He was staring off into the horizon. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Salt." He mumbled. "Lots and lots of salt."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Maya nodded. "I see," she said. "Thank you for telling me." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"My feelings hurt so bad. It's deep down, in my chest. I wanna rip my heart out!"  Krieg said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm sorry," Maya said. "I wanna fix it." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The plant has already been cut at the stem. The livestock got sent to the butcher. We're eating ham sandwiches for lunch," Krieg said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They sat together quietly, watching the sunrise over their little hellhole of a planet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then there was a spark of light, coming down fast from the still dark part of the sky. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Krieg, look!" Maya pointed. "Is that a comet?" She wondered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I wish for meat!" Krieg exclaimed, clapping his hands together and rubbing them expectantly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya stood up, shielding her eyes from the sun, and looking onwards.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wait a second. That's not a shooting star." She said, narrowing her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That's a drop pod."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Gemini</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya hopped down off the roof and onto the balcony of HQ. Krieg stared down at her, confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"C'mon big guy! We got a job to do!" Maya beckoned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Manslaughter breakfast!" Krieg nodded and jumped down with her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They raided the HQ's armory and left as fast as they could. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya ran right to the Quick Change station and her combat uniform materialized onto her along with her book of techniques. Her hair was done up into a tight bun as she pulled her hood over her head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Come get your mask," Maya told Krieg.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stepped away from the quick change station for a moment and Krieg stuck his face up close to the scanner, closing his eye as his respirator digistructed snugly over his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright, the drop pond landed over that direction," Maya pointed as she marked it on her ECHO map. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She set the fast travel area weight to two and grabbed onto Krieg's arm as they teleported to a gas/catch a ride stop somewhere in the Highlands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg reached over his shoulder and took out the Tediore shotgun he snagged from the armory. He looked off into the distance. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The star's on fire!" He said, pointing out across the rolling hills.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I see it." Maya nodded, spawning a technical. "Here, get in the back. I'm driving this time." She hopped into the front seat and connected the turret so she could use both of the car's guns. Krieg was in back, leaning over the edge of the car.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They drove off, hitting a few stalkers on the way. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They stopped in front of a burning drop pod, surrounded by a group of bandits.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There were two teenagers slowly being backed up into the flames by the bandits. Maya noticed and honked the car's horn, startling them. "Get going! All of you!" She called.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya layed on the horn again before getting out of the car.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Awh, crap. It's that siren bitch again." One of the taller bandits rolled his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya phaselocked him, burning him alive and catching some of his buddies on fire too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was left on the ground, moaning and clinging to life by a thread, before Krieg hopped out of the car and shot his head clean off, putting him out of his misery.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Do I have to repeat myself?" Maya challenged.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Listen lady, these punks landed on our turf! If you got beef with anybody it should be them!" Somebody said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The bandits parted a line down the middle leading right to the two teenagers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were skinny and looked a bit malnourished. They had dark completions, and one's hair was dyed. The other was missing his right arm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hiii…." They both said in unison, nervously. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What're you kids doing here? You should know better than provoking an entire bandit camp with no motive. Don't tell me, you were trying to get to Junpai-3 and you ejected the drop pod too early? Do you even know where you are right now?" Maya crossed her arms and tapped her foot.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ty… Ty, they're Vault hunters!" The boy whispered. "That's that one siren lady we heard about!" He nudged the girl with his elbow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She shoved him a bit. "Yeah, I know that, jackass. Stop talking! You're embarrassing me!" She whispered through gritted teeth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm waiting," Maya said, somewhat amused. "You better hurry, my partner isn't as patient as I am." Maya smirked. The teens darted their eyes towards Krieg, who was crouched over the immolated body of the bandit Maya had phaselocked. He was staring them down like a hungry dog.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We wanna be Vault Hunters!" The girl announced, her voice shaking slightly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya laughed. The rest of the crowd did too, except for Krieg. He didn't get what was so funny.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You're about seven years too late, guys. Go home. The Vaults are all open." Maya sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> "Kids will listen to any type of propaganda nowadays, huh boys?" One of the bandits called out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, let's ditch these skag-lickers and mass invest in crowd-funding campaigns on the ECHOnet!" Somebody else called. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a murmur of agreement amongst the crowd and the bandits began to disperse, going back to whatever it was they were doing before the teens had bothered them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, that's one of my problems taken care of." Maya rolled her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No wait, really, we know you guys have the Vault map," the boy said, before getting punched in the side by the girl. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "You what?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We can help you guys decode it," the girl said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You're trying to blow smoke up my ass. Get going before you get spit-roasted like that man from earlier. Normally I'd make an exception for kids. I don't like your attitudes."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The teens locked eyes with each other for a second. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We can prove it, wait!" They said at the same time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya stared at them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Both teens took off their jackets to reveal what were unmistakable siren markings. The boy's was identical to the girl's, except they were red instead of blue.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Now I know you're bullshitting me, there's no male sirens." Maya pointed her gun at them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No, really! Look, I'll prove it!" The boy said, grabbing onto a nearby succulent. It shriveled in his hand, down to nothing but a withered lump of organic matter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What the…" Maya blinked, lowering her gun. Krieg was standing up now, alert.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He's not really a siren. He can't do half of the shit I can. We think the reason he's like that is because we're twins." The girl shrugged. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ok. You got me there. But how do I know you're telling the truth about the Vault map?" Maya raised her eyebrows.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The twins looked at each other again. "Have you ever heard of Typhon DeLeon?" They said together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya nodded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He's our dad." They said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"My name's Troy." The boy said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm Tyreen." The girl said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Dad wanted us to have the same initials." They were in unison again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya blinked. She felt uncomfortable, but she didn't have a reason not to trust these kids yet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Where's your dad now?" Maya asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He's dead." They both said. "We went through his things after he died and it said there was a Vault map linked to the key to the Destroyer's Vault," Troy said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Everybody knows that it's the same key Handsome Jack was slinging around. You Crimson Raider guys killed him, so we put two and two together and figured it was with you." Tyreen smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Just let us talk to Commander Lilith and we'll see what she says. Please?" Troy asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya frowned, looking back at Krieg for any signs of visible belief.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her gut was telling her not to, but she really couldn't see a reason as to why not.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Fine." She shook her head, turning the area weight of her ECHO's fast travel up to four. They went back to Sanctuary.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya kept glancing behind her shoulder as they walked. Krieg was behind them, subtly keeping a close eye on the teens. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya reluctantly led them right into HQ.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So where have you two been?" Lilith was sitting cross-legged on the sofa near the end of the room. "Marshall saw you and Krieg running around half-naked earlier this morning. I figured that was usual for the big guy but, Maya! I thought you’d lost it!" Lilith chuckled to herself and stood up. "What's with the kids?" She said, narrowing her eyes at Troy and Tyreen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya cleared her throat, embarrassed about what had happened that morning. "These two landed in a drop pod as the sun was coming up. Krieg and I were just checking to make sure that it wasn't any corporate ambassadors." Maya said. Krieg nodded in agreement. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"And?" Lilith asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Meet the DeLeon twins." Maya gestured. "They're sirens." She let out a sigh.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"DeLeon? Like the pioneer Vault scientist DeLeon?" Tannis poked her head out of her lab for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah. That guy." Troy gave her a thumbs up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith had a puzzled expression on her face. "Wait, you said they were </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>sirens?" She blinked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well actually, no," Tyreen said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It's a long story," Troy chimed in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith looked at Maya again, gesturing to the twins and back at her, confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"They said they wanted to speak to you about... the Vault map." Maya gritted her teeth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a small gasp heard from Tannis' lab.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"How do you-" Lilith began.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It's from our father, yeah, he was like, really into the Vault hunting stuff, right? So he had these books from back home written in ancient Eridian," Tyreen said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ty and I grew up learning to read those things," Troy added.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"And we think we can decrypt that Vault map of yours and finally get them open! If, of course, that hasn't already been done…" Tyreen sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It's kinda important to us that it hasn't already been done," Troy echoed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Can we see the map? Or did you have that figured out already?" Tyreen asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith blinked. "How do I know you two aren't pulling my leg?" She narrowed her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tyreen groaned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Both the twins got down on the floor and put their hands up in the air like starving children begging for a meal. "Please! We've been working our entire lives for this, Commander!" Troy whined.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ever since we were small, our only wish was to live in our father's footsteps and become Vault hunters!" Tyreen cried.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We could be a great addition to the Crimson Raiders, it’s like a two for the price of one package!" They both said together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Fine! I'll let you two see it, only if you swear you'll never do that ever again," Lilith cringed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Deal." Tyreen grinned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you, Firehawk. You won't regret it!" Troy wiped his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith held out her arm for a formal handshake.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Lil." Maya grabbed her wrist. "They've got crazy life steal, Better than mine," she whispered in her ear. Lilith nodded understandingly and put her hand down.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tyreen nodded and pointed playfully at Maya. "She's a smartypants huh? I dig it." She clicked her tongue and clapped her hands together. "Let's get cracking on that Vault map, shall we, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they were all in the room together, Ellie, Tannis, and Krieg included, Lilith slowly brought out the Vault map from its protective safe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her markings glowed bright orange for a moment before the map projected itself into the air.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You two don't happen to know what any of these planets are, do you?" Lilith asked the twins.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They nodded and began rummaging through their backpacks to find a few books and papers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tyreen pulled out a very yellowed, folded up piece of paper covered in coffee stains and a suspicious red stain that they all could infer what it was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Dad had been working on an Eridian map decoder before he died. Troy and I took the liberty of finishing it for him," Tyreen announced, holding the paper up to the map projection.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Apparently all Eridian maps were as confusing as this, so don’t feel bad that you didn't get it for a while." Troy smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya rolled her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"There’s 4 planets here," Tyreen said. "The one in the middle is Pandora, that's where we are." She pointed. "This one over here is Nekrotefeyo. The Vault there has already been opened though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Dad took care of it." Troy grinned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now Ellie was frowning. "Sure is a brat if I ever saw one." She mumbled to herself. Maya had to hold back from laughing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"This one over here… that's Eden-6. Weird." Tyreen checked her notes again. "Yeah, that's definitely Eden-6." She shrugged. "And this one! This is Promethea."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya's eyes widened when she heard that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everything else they were saying suddenly started to be blocked out from her head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was it. This was her chance. She was going to go to Promethea and kill Doctor Samuels. After all those years, it was finally going to happen. She was going to die, Maya's consciousness would finally be free from second-hand guilt, and maybe Krieg could be a little more at peace knowing the woman who took everything away from him was finally brought to justice. Maya's heart was racing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Somebody grabbed her arm and she was thrown out of her fantasies for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't know about this. What do you think, Maya? Krieg? Would you be up for Vault hunting again?"  Lilith asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya looked to her side to see Krieg, staring onward into the map and gripping her hand tightly. He nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes!" Maya said, almost shouting. "I mean-" she cleared her throat. "We've grown so much over the years. I think it's time the Crimson Raiders finally did something with all this gunpower!" Maya nodded, firmly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, but you gotta remember, Lil, Promethea is no man's land for the second-biggest corporate war in history right now. If word gets out about the Vault located there, we might have some serious competition," Ellie said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Okay, you're right, Ell. But, think about it like this. The Crimson Raiders are practically an Army of our own now; we have stations and settlements all across the six galaxies. We could take a brigade over to Promethea to provide extra support for the new Vault hunters," Maya suggested.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Maya is right. You have been working on the S3 after all, Ellie. It could be used rather efficiently in any Vault hunting slash Eridian experimenting scenarios." Tannis nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Is she ready to fly though, Ell?" Lilith asked, bending over the table slightly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, yeah, I'd say she's pretty much set for any day that you want to take her out. Only thing I'm worried about is if she can take heavy gunfire, that’s all," Ellie said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We can install a shield like Sanctuary's at any time. And, if worse comes to worst, I can phaselock the whole thing and Lilith could teleport the crew back home," Maya said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Lilith sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So what do you think, Lil? Are we ready?" Ellie asked. "The decision is yours at the core, Commander." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith rubbed her chin in deep thought, glancing over to the DeLeon twins, who were staring at her expectantly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I think it's worth it. Let's call up the team," She announced.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya exhaled loudly. Krieg held his fist up in the air triumphantly and the twins cheered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Excuse me for a moment," Tannis said before running out of the room. They could all hear her jumping up and down and screaming with excitement from her lab.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'll get started on that shield then." Ellie sighed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Thank you." Maya smiled at her. "It means a lot." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ellie nodded and left the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Troy and Tyreen were speaking to themselves quietly in the corner of the room, but Maya couldn't hear what they were saying.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith had sent a signal out for the Crimson Raiders.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One by one, holograms of their friends began to light up the room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Brick, Tina, and Mordecai picked up first. Then Zer0, Gaige, Axton, and finally, Salvador, who was sitting with his legs up drinking a shot. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The reason I've called you guys today is that I have finally made a decision about the Vault map." Lilith put her hands on her hips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The room seemed to blink in surprise all at the same time. Salvador spat out his booze.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"And that is?" Mordecai asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We've found two Vaults that need hunting. We're back in the game!" Lilith raised her arms to the crowd.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Salvador did another spit tick.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hell yeah!" Brick said, high-fiving Tina and leaving her shaking her wrist from the shock. "Hell yeah!" Tina echoed him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Excellent news, Lil/ I was starting to get bored/ while I was away." Zer0 nodded curtly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Two Vaults? Must be my lucky day!" Salvador slammed his glass down just out of range of the scanner.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Commander, wait," Gaige said. "We can't see the map. Where are these Vaults exactly?" She asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing." Mordecai nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, according to some intel, there's one on Eden-6 somewhere in the Floodmore region. The other is on Promethea somewhere in Meridian City."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Brick and Tina high-fived again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hell yeah!" Mordecai took his goggles off for a moment and stood up, smiling and rubbing his hands together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Copycat." Tina frowned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I thought it was a bit?" Mordecai blinked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Promethea? Man, really, I just got out of there," Gaige said, sadly. "I'm on Talanthus right now. I got an armed group together trying to sabotage Dahl's tanks." She looked behind her and a muffled explosion was heard along with some screaming. "Speaking of! I gotta go!" She pulled her gun off her back and saluted. "I'll catch up with you later, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>!" She disconnected.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Damn. That means I'm out too..." Salvador slapped his knee. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Not necessarily. Salvador, I want you to try looking for people over in Lynchwood who might be up for Vault hunting. I'll send Marcus down there to pick up anybody you find." Lilith ordered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes ma'am!" Salvador stood up and tipped his hat. "</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>!" He disconnected.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> "Same goes for you two, Zer0, Axton. I'm not sure where you two are right now but I need you to start finding Vault hunters ready to go to Promethea. That place is a warzone right now; make sure they're the toughest of the tough. And make sure there's lots of them," Lilith said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Zer0's faceplate flashed "OK" and he was gone with a nod. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton rubbed his chin for a second. "Hold on a second, Firehawk." He smirked and disconnected.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lilith looked puzzled for a moment before turning her attention to Brick, Mordecai, and Tina. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"And you three." She smiled. "Tina, this is your first time doing the big girl stuff huh? I want you to listen to Brick and Mordecai. They know what they're doing," Lilith said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Aw yeah I gotcha, shawty. Do what the boys say so I don't die prematurely. Easy peasy. Can't promise I won't lose a few fingers once the fireworks start going, though." She crossed her arms. "Oh my God, is that Krieg? HI KRIEG!" She waved at him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg waved back. "Medium tiny!" He called. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tina nodded and gave a thumbs up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We'll take care of her, Lil. Don't worry." Mordecai assured.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, I'm kinda getting used to this whole parenting thing!" Brick nodded in agreement. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Same thing I said to the other guys goes for you too. Find people before going in there," Lilith said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Understood." All three of them said at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya heard footsteps charge up the stairs. She grabbed her gun and braced herself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Miss me!?" He stopped in the doorway, wearing an open shirt and floral patterned shorts,  sandals, and a pukka shell necklace. He was out of breath.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was Axton.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"If you didn't stop running you would've been dead, commando!" Lilith's eyes widened. She began laughing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, good old Snake-bite boy! How's the missus?" Krieg turned his head to the side.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Turret's good. Sexy as ever. How have you guys been? I've been doing awesome! Got on this new diet, it's making my ass stick out more, I think. You should try it, Krieg!" Axton leaned against the doorframe. "It's been so long since I was last here. Forgot how tightly packed everything was."  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya put the gun down and smiled. "Commando? You're taking it literally today huh, Ax? Why'd you come right after going offline?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I wanted to see my buds again! Better now than never. I wasn't doing anything and you guys needed help. Win-win scenario, amiright?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Who said we needed help?" Maya asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You guys want new Vault hunters, right? Well, that's where I come in. The kids love me nowadays! I got onto the cover of Icon Magazine as the best role-model of the year. The Missus won second prize! I'll be the eye candy. We'll have an army quadruple the size of anything Maliwan or Atlas or even Vladof could pull off, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>. It's gonna be good." Axton smiled, wrapping his arms around Maya's and Krieg's necks. "It'll be just like old times! I'm excited." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright." Lilith nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It just comes down to Vault keys then. Lucky for the B-Team, intel tells me all of the pieces are already on Eden-6 you just need to give the Jakobs family a little persuasion to let you have them. Hammerlock should help with that," Lilith said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Right." B-Team nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Now for us, it's gonna be a little harder because of the fighting. Tyreen told me her father knew of a Vault already on Promethea, but either didn't open it or there's another one because the map would tell us if the Vault was empty.  She also said that only two of the key fragments are on Promethea," Lilith said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Where's the other?" Maya asked, getting turns being noogied by both Axton and Krieg.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"They guessed Atheneas. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Maya?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya felt herself go pale.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"A... Atheneas?"</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Runt of The Litter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Maya sat in the car listening to the grainy music Axton had playing out of the radio. She had been quiet ever since they left HQ. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton was singing along as he drove; the song was in another language Maya didn't understand and the signal was coming in badly. She guessed it was from one of the inner planets. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg nodded his head along to the beat. Even though the signal was bad, the base was still vibrating the entire car. Maya had a headache. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were deep into the north part of the Dust. The sun slammed their backsides and there was open road and sand for miles. Maya didn't know how long they had been on the road.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The DeLeon twins had stayed in Sanctuary for a while. Ellie said she had to get them 'initiated' before they were allowed to be alone with anybody in case they decided to act up. It was a good thing too, since Maya didn't really trust them. They knew too much and were too eager to give it away. Plus the siren thing; they could rain havoc if they really wanted to.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton, Maya and Krieg were sent out to look for new vault hunters. They didn't know how long they would be. Salvador had to round up most of them, but Axton insisted they should go out too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton turned down the music.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So…" he said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Have you guys like, tied the knot yet or..?"  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya blushed. "Wh- no. Why?" She tensed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I dunno, ‘cus I haven't talked to any of you forever I was wondering if you got like, married or something and didn't invite me?" He sounded a little sad. "Don't, by the way. It's a scam." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya sighed. "If we were, I'd have you at the top of my list," she assured him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No, just don't," Axton said. "It's a waste of time. And money. And mental health." He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"His ring is gone," Krieg said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was right. Maya hadn't realized earlier. Axton was wearing the puka shell necklace instead of his wife's wedding ring.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, don't tell me you and Sarah-"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We finalized it a few years ago." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya sighed. "I'm sorry. You can do better than her anyways, Ax. Everybody has a crush on you, y'know. Even Krieg does." Maya offered a smile. Krieg blinked. "That was a joke." Maya rolled her eyes at him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, I don't want you to feel sorry for me or anything. Just tryna make some conversation, that's all. So we can catch up." Axton laughed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya could tell he was faking it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I didn't have the balls to tell any of you except Gaige. If you were wondering why I've been so out of the loop, it's ‘cus of that. I've been in and out of depression ever since," Axton said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I understand," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So. What have you guys been doing? I've just been travelling mostly. Doing photo shoots and documentaries. I've given out autographs! I kinda like being recognized for something other than a wanted poster." Axton drummed out the song on the steering wheel.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, I've been…" Maya glanced at Krieg. "Just working for Lilith is all. I've gotten better using my powers. I can read ancient Eridian now, at least some of it." Maya said. She didn't want Krieg to find out about her little obsession.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hm. Sounds nice. How about you Krieg? Same thing? I haven't gotten my hands dirty in so long, I'm kinda jealous of you guys." Axton breathed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I've got a tuxedo in my throat, and my brain wants to tango. I've gotta sharpen my teeth with grey matter and my axe with the red stuff!" Krieg exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Uh huh..." Axton nodded supportively.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He's got himself all worked up about talking 'normal' for some reason. Say, why don't you show Axton what you've been practicing?" Maya suggested.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg sat for a moment then shook his head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The word spiders are crawling all around trying to find a home. They're too busy, they don't know it's gonna flood soon. Waves of blood crash down and I wanna snorkel!" Krieg said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "Suit yourself." She sighed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Meh, normal speak is overrated anyways," Axton said. "I like your little speech patterns, big guy.Gives you more pizzazz!" Axton laughed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg grunted in response.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I missed you guys." Axton said after a brief moment of silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They kept driving for a while. Maya got back to thinking about Atheneas. She wasn't excited.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton stopped the car.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So, did you guys happen to hear if Captain Scarlett was back into the pirate game or did she just drop off the face of the planet after the whole Torgue Harvest Festival incident?" Axton stood up in his seat and looked onwards.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Haven't heard anything about her. I thought her boys mutinied after they heard she ran away from fighting us head on," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Granny Flexington SNITCHED!" Krieg said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Why?" Maya asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"There's this huge ass sand skimmer ship coming towards us right now. Just wondering if it was her. That's all," Axton said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Both Maya and Krieg stood up together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No, that's just a Ripper ship," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Out in the middle of the dust?" Axton asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah."  Maya nodded. "Definitely a Flesh Ripper Clan ship."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Coming towards us at full speed?" Axton asked again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Uh-huh." Maya nodded again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A large bomb went off next to them, kicking up sand and rubble all around.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Shit!" Axton said, being knocked off his feet. He stepped on the gas.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Why's the Ripper Clan all the way up here now? I thought they only operated on the Southern Shelf?" Axton yelled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya shot at the cannons, but they were too far away to hit. "They started migrating after a while, the Bloodshots aren't in as much control now that Jack's dead, and the Flynt family already had a bunch of high class gear! They weren't just relying on old Dahl stuff!" Maya shouted back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She phaselocked one of the cannons and it exploded into a cloud of smoke.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, but I thought they would've all disbanded after we strung the kid's body up on display back then. If I saw the child of my boss dead on a palm tree I'd be pretty scared!" Axton said, pressing so hard on the gas that the car's engine started sounding like a nasty guitar riff.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I think that's actually why they started regrouping! They've been giving Krieg and I trouble for a few months now!" Maya yelled over the noise. Another bomb went off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm gonna try to pull in closer!" Axton said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "Got it. Krieg, get in the turret," she directed. Krieg did what she said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton swerved around, speeding closer and closer to the approaching ship. He turned past the front and was moving along the side now, right in the cannons' blind spot.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The side of the ship was painted to say 'REDRUM' in a large, black, gothic style font.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> "Are they still doing the dragon thing?" Axton asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Dunno!  We haven't been to Liar’s Burg in ages!" Maya called.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Rippers started shooting at them from over the edge of the ship. Axton had to serpentine to not get hit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya phaselocked a cluster of people all at once, and a shower of gore and body parts began to rain down on them, soaking their clothes and making their hair clump together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"FINALLY!"  Krieg laughed maniacally, going absolutely wild on the turret.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya looked up to phaselock again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Axton, look out!" She shouted. "They're throwing barrels down now!" She hit his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Large pools of slag, acid, and nuclear waste were forming around the car as they drove. Large crystals of ice sprung up from the ground on impact, and barrels were rocketing off and spinning in all sorts of directions, electrically charged. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>An incimeraty barrel was dropped right in front of the car, causing Axton to swerve and lose control of the vehicle for a moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya screamed, being tossed against the metal flooring of the technical's backseat and hitting her head. Her vision went blurry and her ears were ringing.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She turned herself over, groaning in pain and rubbing her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The last thing she saw was a bright yellow barrel hurling towards them as fast as it could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maya woke up with a cloth stuffed in her mouth and her limbs tied together with chains. She tried spitting it out but her head hurt so bad she could barely move her jaw.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was hanging upside down from the legs from a tall post, surrounded by people. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She glanced to her left to see axton strung up by the wrists, still unconscious. His shirt was burnt up and his shoes were missing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Below her was Krieg, he was still awake, somehow. His arms were tied behind his back but they let his legs go free for some reason. Maya guessed it was because they couldn't hold him down for long enough</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They had Krieg on the ground, chained to the pole Maya was hanging from. They were trying to push him around and beat on him, but every time somebody would get close he'd try charging at them, spitting fire and snarling. His mask was off, they could all see his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya squirmed around for a moment, trying to see if the chain had any weak points.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If she melted the chain right there, she'd fall on her head again, or on Krieg. That wouldn't work. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was stuck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She squirmed around again, this time trying to make noise. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg looked up at her and was socked in the face. The Rippers had their chance to catch him off guard and they took it. He was beaten mercilessly until he was crumpled on the floor in a bleeding heap. Somebody was still kicking him in the stomach. He flinched every time they raised their leg.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya glared furiously and the person was lifted into the air, fire encircling them and burning them before their head exploded with a satisfying pop. The body fell to the floor like a broken toy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg twitched, trying to get up again. He coughed hard and his shoulders shook from the strain of it. Maya thought they were gonna hit him again but they were all staring up at her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The siren bitch is awake! Somebody call Boss!" One of them called.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He's gonna be so proud!" Another said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya looked around. These weren't the same bandits the Ripper Clan had seven years ago. They seemed more jovial and not as wild as the ones years prior. Something was off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He's here! Places, boys!" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A whistle went off and the bandits ran to the sides of the boat, forming two lines.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Somebody walked in. They were average height. Probably a bit taller than Axton, but nowhere near as tall as Captain Flynt was. They had a dark grayish-blue duster on, and carried their hands clasped neatly behind their back. The helmet looked similar to the one Sparky and Captain wore, but it was missing the horns. Maya also noticed the watch they were wearing looked quite expensive. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>These definitely weren't the same Rippers from seven years ago.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Well, what do we have here?" They said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We wanted to surprise you, so we found the guys that killed your nephew and strung 'em up like piñatas! Aren't you proud of us?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The boss took off his helmet and took a good hard look at the three of them, even nudging Krieg a bit with his foot.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was an older fella. His hair was a pale greyish color, probably blonde in his youth. He had only one eye, the other covered by a small cybernetic plate that glowed a faint yellow-orange when he looked around. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Micheal." He gritted his teeth and pulled one of the men out of line by the collar. "You inane cunt, look what you boys did! These are the Vault hunters! Remember how we got that radio signal a few hours ago? That was them! Now lookit. Ye beat them down to a pulp! I don't think this one's breathin'!" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He bent down over Krieg.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Are you alive, boyo? Say something!" He shouted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg lunged upwards as hard as he could trying to bite at the man's face, but he moved away quickly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He definitely didn't sound like a Flynt. He sounded like he was from the Highlands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He rubbed his forehead. "Shite," he said. "Let them down." He ordered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"But, boss-" somebody said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I know you heard me boyo, do it." He chuckled sarcastically.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yessir." They all shuffled away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya felt herself being lowered slowly until her back was touching the floor. Krieg was about a foot away from her, his sides rising and falling slowly as he breathed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton still wasn't awake. He was already being untied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The boss looked over Maya.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You're one of them siren girlies they told me about? I'm gonna take the rag out of your mouth now. Promise not to bite me?" He asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He pulled the cloth out of her mouth and threw it behind him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That wasn't so bad. Now let's get these chains off yeh." He struck the chains holding Maya's legs up with a yellow claw that digistructed over his fist, shattering it and sending bits flying.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Nice brass knuckles. Who'd you steal that from, bandit?" Maya teased.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Actually, made it myself. I do some tinkering here and there. Very… crafty," he said, unraveling the chain around Maya's legs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Get my arms," Maya said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ep ep ep! How do I know you aren't gonna try phaselocking me and blastin' all my brains out, huh?" He said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I don't need my hands to do that. You're testing my patience." Maya smirked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You got me there. Alright! Hold still for a second." He pushed Maya over onto her side and struck at the chains again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya shook her wrists and pulled her hair behind her ears. She let out a deep breath before moving over to Krieg and phaselocking his chains, corroding the metal enough that it snapped when she stepped on it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey big guy, you alright?" Maya whispered to him. Krieg turned over and put his hand on her head, rubbing the bump she had gotten from hitting it on the floor earlier. It hurt still.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Here, I can fix your ribs real quick. Put your arms down," Maya said, moving her hands onto his torso and closing her eyes. Her markings sparked up for a moment and Krieg yelped as his bones popped back into place.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"All better," Maya said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I miss it already." Krieg frowned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oy, uh. I'm real sorry about all of this. I was actually headin' down to Sanctuary myself. Got that message the Firehawk was sendin' out n thought I'd be yer man. Boys got carried away while I was makin' dirt. I dunno who's the Jackarse who decided to drop the barrels on yeh, whoever it was isn't gonna be onboard for much longer, tell yeh that!" The boss knelt down next to them, slipping a pipe into his mouth and lighting it with the other hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You? Wanna be a Vault hunter? Listen, sir, I know the Ripper Clan has changed over the years, but that's a bit much. The Flynt family have always been on our throats," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man cackled. "Oh, I'm not tryna kill yeh now, are I though? Got anything to say about it? Some hippie dippie bull hokey about how ‘men aren't their relatives’ shite?" He laughed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You aren't actually one of them, are you? I don't believe it… you're so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>decent</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" Maya blinked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He laughed even harder, almost swallowing his pipe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The name's Zane. The boys call me the Duke. Or Deathbringer. Or Feriocity. Or a sexy son of a bitch. But, I like yeh. You can just call me Zane." He held out his hand to shake.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya hesitated for a moment, but took it anyway.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Zane Flynt," She said. "Are you like another sibling or…" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That's it." He nodded. His face had the wrinkles, but his eyes were young and playful looking. Maya was confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Murdering your family was a blast! Hope to do it again someday!" Krieg said. Maya gasped.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Krieg!" She said. "Sorry about him. He's got no filter." Maya explained. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Zane smiled and nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No hard feelings, really. I tell yeh what, I'd been waiting for those bastards to drop for years now. Too afraid to do it me-self. I always said if I got the chance I'd tie 'em up, cover them in honey and leave 'em to a varkid hive," Zane whispered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Really?" Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I mean, yeh kinda went overboard a bit there with Sparky. Boy was about to turn 20." Zane sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"He hired assassins from all across the galaxy to murder us," Maya said bluntly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ah, didn't catch that part. Yeah, it was totally deserved then. Poor bastard was bein' brainwashed." Zane puffed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah… that sucks. Sorry about that." Maya rubbed her wrists.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a clanging noise behind them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Get off of me, you assholes! I'll sic my girlfriend on you! She's a fox! She'll tear you up!" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton had finally woken up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wait. Wait a sec." Axton squirmed around, eyeing his waist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Wh- hey what did you punks do to my turret? Where is she?! Where's my girl!?" He screamed frantically.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Zane narrowed his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Give it back to him." He glared at his men. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One of them sighed and tossed a small metal box into Axton's lap. The other cut the chains off his wrist.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton brought the box close to his face, pressing it gently against his cheek and whispering to it. He gave it a kiss and clipped it to his belt.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You alright over there, Ax?" Maya asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah. I think? Are we being saved or kidnapped right now? Ow- why are there all these cigarette burns all over my feet?" He brought his legs close to him, looking around and scratching his head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"That's what yeh get for wearing sandals on Pandora." Zane chuckled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The crew laughed. Zane glared. "Oh, I'm guessin' you all want the same thing then, heh? Go off 'n feck yerselves. Should be ashamed! Go on then, off wit yeh!" Zane swiped at them. They all grumbled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Now then, Axton's yer name heh? And Maya is the siren, knew that one already. What's the big fella's name again?" Zane asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg sat up and grinned. "I'm the butcher boy! I'm the dirt on your spinach, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Popeye</span>
  </em>
  <span>! We're gonna be best friends!" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We call him Krieg." Axton and Maya said at the same time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Strange fella. I like him!" Zane raised his eyebrows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I really should make this up for you three. Say, I'm heading to Sanctuary already. Tell yeh what, anywhere you need to go, I'll take yeh. As long as you take me back with yeh…" He said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We need Vault hunters." Maya said. "Not sure if I totally trust you. Yet." Maya crossed her arms.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I've got booze, guns, and a few strippers," Zane offered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Deal!" Axton clapped his hands together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ax, wait, we don't know if he's really Vault hunter material yet," Maya said to him, quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I dunno, Maya. He seems nice enough," Axton said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Being nice doesn't mean you can take down a Vault monster," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You're right, right. We should have him prove himself. We should show him like, some huge monster. If he takes it down, he's good. If he dies, he dies. Sound good?" Axton suggested.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Oh, I've always wanted to try and compete in that Creature Slaughter Circle in the old abandoned Hyperion Wildlife Preserve. But hell, what do I know. I'm just a silly old bandit, huh?" Zane crouched down next to them. "One of my ears still works without the cybernetics, you know.  And the other one's </span>
  <em>
    <span>reeaally</span>
  </em>
  <span> good now."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah. Wildlife Preserve. Let's do that." Maya nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It's a deal then." Zane smiled. "I'll get yer drinks started. What'll it be?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Curdled blood slurry. Warm milk and cookies," Krieg said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm good," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I could go for a beer. Where's, uh…" Axton said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> "I fibbed about the strippers, boyo," Zane said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton gasped. "Liar!" He said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Get used to it boyo." He smirked. "Vault huntin' here I come!" Zane said, kicking up in the air as he went to get Axton's drink.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> "Agh, I'm gonna wring that guys neck. He got my hopes up!" Axton tried standing up, but he winced.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey, they twisted your legs up pretty bad there," Maya said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah," Axton gasped, sitting back down. "I'm fine. Tip-top shape. Fuck, that hurts." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You know I can fix it! Just hold still..." Maya phaselocked his legs for a second, fixing his broken ankle and soothing his burns.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Axton sighed. "Thank you, sister. You're the best." He leaned back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I know." Maya cracked her knuckles.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"They're not trying to murder us again, so I don't think he was lying about the Vault hunting bit at least," Axton said, looking over to the crewmates. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were all staring.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, for now," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"The monsters' den is gonna crap out apologies when it feels my fist close around its trachea," Krieg growled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We're not competing this time, big guy. It's all Zane. We wanna see if we should take him to Promethea with us or not." Maya rubbed his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg snorted. "I can smell it already."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Pack Alpha</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The fast travel had a max capacity of four at a time, or six if you were using a station. That meant they were stuck on board Zane's sand skimmer ship all the way to the old Hyperion Preserve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> It had been abandoned in recent years, and re-purposed as a slaughter ring. People would bet money on whoever they thought would last the longest, kind of like gladiator type stuff. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya and Krieg had participated together a few times. It was a bit of a challenge; not too much for somebody who knew their stuff, but deadly for a novice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane seemed pretty confident in himself though. He was already talking about Vault hunting with the Crimson Raiders like he'd been hired years ago. They sat at the small bar all together on the inside of the ship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I grew up on Pandora. I can handle anything this planet slings my way. I was hopping back and forth, place to place for a while a few years back, doin' dirty work for pretty much any bastard who had the money. Mostly corporate stuff. Had to go into hiding though when Jack stepped in. My brother was spoon-feedin' Hyperion info on me, hoping if they caught me he'd get a chunk of the money. When he died, Hyperion started leavin' me alone. It was nice for a while, but I got bored. I started misbehavin'. I wanted to come back home and reform these Ripper cunts. Now that the nephew went and kicked the bucket, our family is goin' down the drain! I wanna have one last shebang before I go down. This is my retirement," Zane explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I see," Maya said. "How long were you a hitman then?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane grinned. "For legal reasons I can't tell yeh the exact date I started. But it's safe to say it's been around 30 years or so since I'd last been home for so long." He took a sip of his drink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Damn. That means I was just a toddler when you started your like, professional career. That's weird. Honest to god, I forgot people could be old. Most people this side of the six galaxies only live until forty!" Axton burped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who said I was old?" Zane blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh? Yeah, you could be like, my dad or something," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, don't listen to him Zane. He's crazy enough as it is. The booze is probably just making it worse," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've only had 2 beers!" Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shut up," Maya said, pinching his side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ow! You bitch," Axton mumbled to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, the secret to my eternal youth is easy." Zane chuckled. "You always gotta outsmart whoever's tryna kill yeh. Bastards can't hurt yeh if you're not there." He smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You run?" Axton snorted. "That's not how Vault hunting works, Gramps."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nobody said anything about retreat, boyo! I'm talking about spatial misdirection!" Zane slammed his fist on the table, making the glasses rattle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And how do you do that?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'll see," Zane said. "I've got quite a few tricks up my sleeve." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's hope," Maya said. She stood up. "It's pretty stuffy in here. I'm gonna go get some fresh air." She cleared her throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg picked his head up from the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Take me with you!" He said, a thin line of drool glistened on his chin. He'd fallen asleep for a second there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "I'll see what we can do about a mask. C'mon, Krieg."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane glanced over to Axton.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're an item, huh?" Zane clicked his tongue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can totally tell, right? I dunno why she acts all secretive about it. They're good for each other," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nah, it makes sense. Plenty a' people get nervous of bringin' it into their work. 'Specially work so dangerous. And she's a siren. People might start thinkin' she's an easy target." Zane puffed on his pipe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton shrugged. "Yeah. That makes sense."  Axton put his drink down and his hands on his chin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay, but like, if I was fucking somebody like Krieg, I'd want it tattooed somewhere. He's pretty intimidating, you know? I'd want people to know he's with me," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's already on your team, so what's the point?" Zane asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. That's right," Axton sighed. "So…" he picked up his drink again. "You wanna have sex?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Zane locked eyes for an uncomfortably long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah... haha…" Zane took a long drag of his pipe and looked away. "I'm gonna go... see what the navigators are up to. Lord Jesus, is this takin' long." He tapped the table and left the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton covered his face and let out a big sigh. "Next time maybe," He mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A few hours later, they had arrived.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane had given them supplies to replace whatever had been destroyed earlier until they could get to a Quick Change station. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg had a bandana tied around his face. He kept tugging on it, Maya had to help tie it again every once in a while. Axton got some new shoes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane looked onward to the Preserve as they were leaving the ship. Huge barbed wire fences lined the facility, and warning signs were plastered everywhere. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"DANGER! DO NOT ENTER! WHATEVER LIES BEYOND THIS POINT IS NOT WORTH YOUR LIFE."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a picture of a yellow triangle with a skull inside it underneath the words. At the very bottom of the sign there was a logo of a small yellow octagon and a small red octagon overlapping on a black background.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Hyperion was reconstructed and partnered up with Atlas, they made an executive decision to stop any and all slag experimentation. It wasn't allowed to be used in guns anymore, and the patent for all E-tech guns was revoked from any company using it. Sure, you could still find bandit guns that used slag and E-tech, but it was very rare. Companies like Maliwan weren't too happy with the sudden change.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All Hyperion facilities on Pandora were shut down, for a while they had loaders stationed to keep people from coming in, but too many people were getting shot. The last update any loader bot had was a power down order. They began to shut down rapidly. Loader bots weren't being produced anymore on Pandora, and since Helios was gone they couldn't moonshot more down there. Buildings were left in shambles, haunted by the horrific acts that used to take place there. The Wildlife Preserve was one of these old places. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were deactivated robot parts hanging down from the watchtowers overlooking the fencing. Stalkers had made their nests all over the place, overtaking one side of the building in slimey red strings that stunk like rotting garbage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a large hole in the fence right under the "</span>
  <em>
    <span>KEEP OUT</span>
  </em>
  <span>" sign that bandits used to sneak in and out of. They all had to duck to get under. Krieg bumped his head a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This place sure is a shite hole." Zane said, glancing around and making sure no stalkers were following them</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You should've seen it seven years ago," Axton said. "It's changed. Big time."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everybody's yelling at me," Krieg grumbled to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Legend says this place's haunted! You three wouldn't know anything about it would yeh?" Zane asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I believe it." Maya sighed. "They'd have a good reason to. Weirder stuff has happened here, anyhow."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Watch out for puddles, guys. I keep seeing signs all over the place about a slag leak. Looks like they were written pretty recently too" Maya said, stepping over the rotting corpse of a dead skag lying in the pathway. Poor thing had its eyes taken out by rakks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton scrunched his nose up, wincing at the scent. "Oh, yeah. That's nostalgic." He grimaced. "Really takes me back."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg snorted humorously. "Chew toy." He nudged the thing with his foot before catching back up to Maya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane didn't pay attention to it, stepping over the body like he didn't register that it was even there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They'd all seen it before. Slag poisoning. Animals would drink all the slag they could handle. Their last hours would be spent projectile vomiting and shitting out their innards. It was a hell of a way to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They entered the secret arena.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The champions have returned, huh? Lucky, it's been a while. We've got a few new critters 'round here. How many do you have today, Miss Maya? Four?" One of the ringleaders popped his head out from behind the old customer service counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No," Maya shook her head. "We're just gonna be betting."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm competin', though! Where do I sign!" Zane pushed in front of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Popeye's gonna be eaten up," Krieg chuffed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aw, don't be so pessimistic, Krieg-o!" Zane said. "I've been doin' this long enough! Sure I'll be fine!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya and Axton glanced at each other for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"$600," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really? I was gonna put down $1,000!" Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"$3,000!" Krieg shouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow. I'm truly touched." Zane put his hand over his heart and began signing papers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Actually," Maya said. "I'll make it $800. Promise me that it's worth it though, Flynt. Promise me you're not gonna die as soon as you go out there?" She grabbed his shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane locked eyes with her. "You have my absolute word. I won't let you down!" He smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded and let him go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know how it goes. 5 rounds with four waves in each. Every wave you get 15% of the original bet extra and if you manage to finish a round it's another 30%. You can withdraw your money at the beginning of each round, but if your competitor dies, you pay up. Get it? Good. Go warmup for a while and meet up back here with the other competitors in 2 hours. Otherwise, your money goes right to me." The ringleader smiled, holding out his hand for cash. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton, Maya and Krieg pulled out their ECHO devices and withdrew cash from their personal banks, handing the money to the ringleader. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pleasure doing business with you all. I'll see you on the battlefield, Mr. Uh… Flynt?" His face dropped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yep." Zane smirked. "I'll keep an eye out for yeh, boyo."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright…" the ringleader mumbled to himself as the four of them left the room. "I'm gonna lose so much fuckin' money," He said.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Two hours later, Zane stood in the middle of the open arena, stretching. He seemed so carefree. There were two other people with him. They weren't facing each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya sat at the edge of her seat, scrutinizing his every move. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt Krieg brush up against her side. She looked over at him, he had his hands folded in his lap politely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you thinking about, big guy?" Maya asked.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg tapped his foot on the ground, thinking about his words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanna see that pink star up there," He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "Atheneas?" She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not special. Trust me. You probably wouldn't like it." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanna see what makes you so pretty. You were plucked from a weird flesh vine that left everybody else ripping their own skin open. When you were born, did your eyes smile the same or did it only happen the first time you popped some poor soul's head open like a grape!?" Krieg said. "I'm so hungry for it! He yells at me for not asking!" Krieg flicked himself in the head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya grabbed his hand. "Let's talk about this later, ok? They're letting the animals out soon," she said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded, gripping her hand back tightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All contestants ready?" A voice came over the PA.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane held a thumb up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aaaaaaaaall right everybody, we've got some fantastic creatures on display tonight! Grab some popcorn, grab a beer, and make sure to hold onto your lunch because we're ready to go in three… two… one…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The automatic cages opened with a loud clang that echoed across the facility.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Slaughter!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first round was skags and rakks. Easy stuff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane immediately held out his left arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya narrowed her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The watch she had spotted on him earlier had glistened the same orange yellow color as his cybernetic eye for a moment before unclasping and releasing a small drone into the air.  It buzzed in circles around Zane's head until he pointed to one of the bigger rakks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The drone sped off to do his dirty work. Zane nodded and took his gun off his back. He had a Dahl SMG that he was using. Bright white flashes poured out of that thing, freezing his enemies in place before he'd run past, shattering them with a swift kick to the underside. He danced around the mess he made, kicking the remains up in the air joyously before moving onto the next group. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the air, Zane's drone was hard at work, it sent out a taser beam that shocked any of the dive-bombing rakks, sending them barreling down to the ground, dead on impact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm having trouble keeping up with all the mayhem." Axton popped his head up over Maya's shoulder. "He's pretty quick on his feet for an older guy, huh?" He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "You could probably still beat him in a sprint though, I'm sure." Axton poked her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I like the murder bee." Krieg grunted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, that drone could come in handy." Maya nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before they knew it, the first round was over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, the large badass slag skag in the final wave had eaten one of the contestants. He was confirmed dead when the thing spat out a human skull shortly after getting electrocuted to death by Zane's drone. The audience cheered whenever the violence got messy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Addages or minusages!" There was a man walking around the audience with an old bulky ECHO. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Addages or minusages! Pay up!"  He shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, alright. So far so good," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next round was spiderants and varkids.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane breezed through it just as nice as the first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The betting man came through again. Axton and Krieg both added an extra $200 to the bet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The third round had saurians from Eden 6, jabbers and bullymongs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All was good, until one of the mongs grabbed Zane by the neck, shaking him about and throwing him against the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's it." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No!" Axton shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane looked up into the audience in his final moments, the large grey bullymong looming over him, foaming at the mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A large flash of light beamed across the field, sending chills down everyone's backs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bullymong was frozen in place. Zane was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other contestant looked on, silently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What just happened?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane poked his head out from behind the bullymong. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And that's what I call spatial misdirection! There's a lot more where that came from!" he shouted, toppling over the bullymong into a cloud of cold red mist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The audience screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A decoy?" Axton asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe it's like Zer0's hologram thing," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's got a doppel-banger!" Krieg announced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Round four was a mixed bag. The skags were back again. They also had threshers, varkids and stalkers running around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane was picking up speed, swiftly dodging any of the thresher tentacles that came his way, and picking on any of the smaller creatures while the other contestant dealt with the bigger ones. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They seemed to have an unspoken agreement that they would switch off stealing the spotlight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was looking pretty rough for the other component. The rift thresher it was up against had its tentacles wrapped around their legs, pulling them inwards. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was when they opened their coat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A swarm of rakks darted out from under the competitor's sleeves, tearing up the thresher bit by bit, all before circling around them again and returning to the large green coat they were hiding in before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane stopped. "Aye, robit," he said. "I think yeh might have an infestation of some kind."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The contestant looked at him. "It's more of a symbiotic relationship, really. I'd explain more, but the next wave is about to start," they said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, yer tough out of luck then, boyo. I dun' care! Let's get back to the killin' now, shall we?" Zane slapped their backside, and a faint squeaking noise emitted from the robot's jacket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A large pack of skags was released onto the field. They were growling, foaming and spitting at the two competitors. Some of them were mutated badly, obviously older skags that had been there since the testing was still going on. Others were smaller and skinnier, more sickly looking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Among the chaos, the skags began to turn on eachother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The smaller ones were beginning to be cannibalized by each other. They ripped and tore at their own flesh, rolling over each other in bloody piles, almost completely ignoring the two competitors set to kill them minutes later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The robot walked towards them slowly, unleashing a hail of gunfire upon them and making them skatter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane picked off the stragglers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The arena was cleared out as fast as it was filled. Animal corpses littered the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The robot crouched over one of the piles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something was still alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stand back now, robit. I'm gonna put the thing out of its misery," Zane said, aiming down sights.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait." The contestant held an arm up, reaching down into their jacket and pulling out a metal plate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane lowered his gun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The skag was backed into a corner, heavily wounded and missing a chunk of its face, including an eye. It growled at the two, fearful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The robot held out the plate towards it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something must've been magnetic because the plate lifted up out of their hand, grafting itself to the skags wounded face. The corners of the plate glowed bright red, like the color of the synthetic blood in healing hypos. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The skag yowled and clawed at its face, the plate wouldn't budge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then it stopped. A small green light where its eye used to be flicked on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"See… doesn't that feel better?" The robot cooed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane blinked. "What in the feckin' hell…" he mumbled</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The skag stood up, walking slowly over to the robot. They held out their hand for it to smell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took a few sniffs before nuzzling it, its large horizontal jaws parting slightly and its tongue hanging out, dripping bile and saliva all over the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've always thought we needed a skag. I'll call you… Mr. Chew."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No way in hell. Are you out of your mind? Fockin' healing that thing!? Get out of my way, robit. I've got a slaughter to finish!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane took aim again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't you dare," The robot said. They had a Jakobs sniper rifle pointed right back at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Get out of the way before yeh get hurt. I thought they were trying to make the appliances smarter nowadays. I think yeh got a bug." Zane didn't move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Chew growled at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton stood up, noticing what was happening. "Hey dipshit!" He called. "We get our money back as long as you live! Don't get cocky!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Axton's right," Maya called. "Back off."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Feck that shite! I came here for kills!" He grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a gunshot. Mr. Chew whined loudly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The crowd gasped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane was all over the arena a split second later, taunting the robot. One of him was a clone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Go on, shoot then!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Go on, shoot then!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The robot stood still, scanning back and forth as both Zanes circled them, taunting. Mr. Chew was still alive, hiding underneath their coat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Flip a coin, robit. I dare yeh!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Flip a coin, robit. I dare yeh!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They kept teleporting back and forth, sometimes running to different places.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was pretty interesting to watch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually the robot raised their rifle and aimed down sights. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a loud crack that rang through the arena.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane fell to the ground, clutching his chest. It was the real Zane. His clone detonator was flung to the other side of the arena.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Round five hadn't started yet, they were all so intrigued by this display.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The robot lowered their gun. Watching.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane rolled himself over, coughing up blood. "Well, I'll never be able to use that shield again." He croaked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maya… he's still alive. Res him" Axton whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No. A deals a deal, Ax.  If he dies, he dies." Maya was staring deadpan at the robot now, thinking of other options.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But... the money…" Axton whimpered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He needs his spinach!" Krieg shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You caught me. Go on with it now. I've gotten it all off the bucket list now. I'm a happy man," Zane said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The robot moved closer and closer to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"C'mon Maya! Res him!" Axton pleaded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shook her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If I wanted to kill you, I would've fired at your head," The robot said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, really? I think me lung is punctured anyhow. Thanks for trying though." Zane sneered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're with the Vault hunters?" The robot asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane looked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I am one, robit. Er- was." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll help you up on two conditions. One, you leave my pack alone. Two, we get to join you on Promethea." They knelt down, holding out their hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane looked back at Maya, Axton and Krieg in the audience.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They glanced at each other before unanimously nodding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane took the robot's hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After being helped to his feet, the robot handed him a healing hypo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah… thanks," Zane said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mr. Chew will be fine. You scared him, is all," The robot said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh… grand." Zane pushed the needle down into the hole in his chest and gritting his teeth as the red liquid drained into him, replenishing the lost blood and healing the punctured tissue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My name is Fl4k, I used to be a Hyperion indexing robot used to store information in libraries. I gained self importance a few weeks ago. I have been searching this planet for a sense of belonging ever since. I had a vision this morning. A woman told me to head for Sanctuary, the Crimson Raider outpost in the sky. I have no reason not to listen. My pack and I will accompany you," they said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane nodded. "Alright, Fl4k. No hard feelings about yer pooch?" He asked, stretching his shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You don't owe me the apology. It's him." Fl4k beckoned for the animal to come over. It did, hesitantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We really doing this then huh? Well, alright." Zane bent over. "Alright, you little ugly dog. I'm sorry I tried blowin' your friggin' head off. Twice. Please don't vomit on me," Zane said, trying to pet it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Chew shook his head side to side, unfolding his jaws and puking a bit in acceptance. He wagged his stubby tail when he noticed Zane's disgust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He forgives you," Fl4k chortled, their cold metallic voice distorting slightly to simulate laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh good! I couldn't tell." Zane grimaced, wiping strings of puke off of himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you two done yet?" Somebody in the audience called. "I'm not paying to watch puppy-sitting!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're right, robit. We still got a show to put on." Zane nudged them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fl4k nodded. "Oh, and what a show they will get."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Way to Lynchwood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>At last, the circle of slaughter had been completed. Zane and Fl4k stood victoriously in the center of the ring, watching the fireworks go off overhead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Chew scavenged the arena for any snacks he could find. After the fireworks had stopped, Zane and Fl4k did the same in search of any loot the animals may have dropped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya was pleased. She did feel weird about letting a Hyperion robot on board so easily, but Fl4k </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a library indexing unit afterall. They probably knew everything; maybe as much as Angel did, depending on where they were. It was strange seeing such an advanced robot on one of the outer planets. It didn't seem like they were from anywhere, though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe they were on Helios? But they claimed to only have gained sentience recently. And who was that woman they mentioned talking about the Vault? Maya only knew that Angel could project directly into people's minds, but she'd been dead for a long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was strange.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So now we've got two," Axton said. "If we head down to Lynchwood we could probably meet up with Sal and see if he's gotten anybody else. I'm sure he's fine with weeding out any softies. Any FNGs are gonna get chewed up by him big time." He sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We can. Marcus is gonna get pissed about it though," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How come? Cus' he can't overcharge for gas money? Gimme a break, Maya. Like we should care what the gun clerk thinks." Axton rolled his eyes playfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright fine, I'm not the one who's gonna be yelled at for it though." Maya smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. That's gonna be Salvador." Axton laughed, standing up. "I'll go get the prize money, you two can stay back and like, smooch or something, cool? Alright." He pointed finger guns at them before nodding and running down the bleacher stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg was sticking his fingers through the gaps of the chain-link fence, humming to himself, watching Zane and Fl4k scramble around loot picking down below. He shook it a few times, making the entire fence jangle and the poles clang, then he continued humming again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked back at Maya. He had that “do you wanna talk now?” kind of look in his eye that he always got when he thought she was mad. She wasn't mad though. She just didn't wanna think about Athenas any more than she had to. It was scary to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You ready to get on the road again?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's gonna go up in flames as soon as my feet hit the pavement!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We gotta go back on that boat again. I know you're probably bored. We're going to Lynchwood, though. You can probably find some bandits to bully over there," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My palms itch for a good meal," Krieg growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aye! You two!" Zane shouted up at them. "What's our next stop?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Lynchwood. God, how many times do I have to say it?" Maya retorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The robit wants to head down to their hidey-hole before we go! Says they've got some friends!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, great." Maya sighed. She was beginning to get tired of these extra trips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's just outside the arena," Fl4k spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright. We should make it fast though," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can do." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The five of them, six if you wanted to count Mr. Chew, stood outside one of Mordecai's old hide-outs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn't smell like booze anymore; more like a petting zoo, actually. Fl4k had repurposed it to be their little animal rescue hut. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> The old beer bottles were strung up on the ceiling in the place of light bulbs. They had messy wires clumped up inside, burning dull greens and orange through the dirty glass. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't go inside yet," Fl4k said. "I want to introduce Mr. Chew first. Come here, boy."  They knelt down and gave the skag a scratch on the cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Awh, they're shy," Axton said. "Just like you, Krieg." He nudged him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg grunted, elbowing Axton in the side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fl4k went inside, holding Mr. Chew cradled up in their arm, with his legs dangling and his stumpy tail wagging against Fl4k's coat, making some of the rakks inside squawk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come on out! All of you. I've got friends I'd like you to meet," Fl4k called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The walls and ceiling almost looked like they started to move. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A large jabber swung itself across the ceiling and a spiderant rolled across the floor. They both had prosthetic limbs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The spiderant rubbed its head against Fl4k's metal shin, like they were one of its colony. The jabber pounced on them, wrapping its long arms around their neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Settle down now. Meat Thief! Down!" Fl4k said. The jabber hopped off their back, dragging its knuckles on the ground and pulling the spiderant close to groom it. The spiderant just let it happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fl4k got down on their knees, holding Mr. Chew out so they could see, but not enough that they could hurt him. "You have a new brother now. His name is Mr. Chew. Play nice with him." They placed the skag on the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Chew slowly crept towards the two. The jabber stood up straight, frightened for a second. The skag sniffed at both the animals before ducking down into a playful position. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The spiderant copied him, knocking its head against the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The jabber came closer to him, raising its arm and holding it over Mr. Chew's head, grasping one of the large-rock like calcium deposits on his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Chew barked and rolled over, wagging his tail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They've taken nicely to you, boy," Fl4k said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can we come in now?" Axton asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You may. Be polite, though. Broodless is skittish."  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went inside, slowly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah huh. There's a whole assortment of beasties here. Which one is which?" Zane asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The spiderant is Broodless. She was my first find. The jabber is Meat Thief. He's mischievous, very clever. The rakk flock changes population every now and then. I don't waste time naming them any more."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg blew a half laugh out of his nose, kneeling down and holding his hand out in front of the jabber. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Siblings from different wombs. We have something in common! I hope your teeth bite down just as hard," He chuckled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meat Thief blinked slowly at them, turning his head all around to get a good look at everybody. He grasped his little hands around Krieg's thumb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're all so small. You're sure you wanna take them all with you? It seems like it would be more of a burden than anything," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They are more resilient than they seem. You don't know how I picked them yet." Fl4k chirped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How's that?" Axton asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Same way as Mr. Chew. I've been doing these slaughter circles since I had first woken up. If I find the last one alive, I'll take them. The flock had taken to me after I had brought Broodless here to fix her. They respect me as I do them. It's symbiotic." Fl4k explained. "They understand </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> am the alpha. They won't challenge me." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everybody stared for a while, it was quiet except for the sounds of the fake lights buzzing and the animals playing with each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow. That's metal as fuck, dude," Axton said, breaking the silence. "Anyways. Can we get going now? Bring your weird animal family or whatever." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes. We can go now."</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They were on the road again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya, Krieg and Axton turned into the radio while they waited. They laid back on the top deck of the ship, looking up at the sky as the radio crackled. Every now and then a transmission from Sanctuary came through. It was just a series of numbers, code for anybody who listened hard enough telling them to head on over to a crimson raider outpost in case they wanted to get hunting. None of them said anything. They just listened, watching the clouds go by, enjoying each other's company. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fl4k and Zane were hitting off pretty well, which was always good considering they'd be going into the middle of a nasty corporate war together... to fight monsters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya almost forgot why they were going out to find people in the first place. She was so set on getting to Samuels, she forgot she'd actually be Vault Hunting again. It struck her. This was a whole new Vault, maybe even a series of them if it went off well enough. This was gonna be big. They'd be in the news again. People were gonna get mad. Maybe Ellie was right to think they should've waited a while longer until the war had ended. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They could probably handle it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plus, this would mean Maya would experience sets and sets of opportunities to learn more about herself; there was bound to be more Eridian writings out there than the ones she'd already done rubbings for. She'd have to ask Tannis to help her out with some of that stuff, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe she needed to loosen up a little bit. Krieg did seem happier lately than he had been in a while. They weren't currently being targeted by anybody either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya turned her head to look at him, watching the end of his bandana float up in the air every time he exhaled. She could make out the indent of his full lips through the cloth every time he inhaled. It was cute.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song ended and the radio began to play an ad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya frowned. She knew that jingle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Have you ever felt so secure in your gun that you could fire a shot and hit it with your eyes closed? A dream that many dream to achieve, one day. Lucky for you, that day is today. From Hyperion, the same company that brought you self-correcting guns, amplified shields, and the user-friendly Fast Travel stations you know and love, and Atlas, the newest edition to the Hyperion family of products, comes our state of the art tracking guns. One shot is all you'll need, and your opponent won't be able to escape your sight! Take a seat and let your gun do the rest. Each Atlas tracker gun comes pre-installed with a handy AI that re-directs bullets towards the indicated opponent, so you'll never miss a shot!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did I hear that right? Atlas and Hyperion together?" Axton grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Pick up your new tracker gun at your local arms dealer today. A portion of all proceeds go to the brave men and women risking their lives during this heated war. ATLAS⬢⬡HYPERION </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>TO THE FUTURE”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The commercial ended.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The same guy owns both companies." Maya sighed, sitting up for a second to turn the radio off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't you think they only jointed to save ass after what happened with Jack? I mean, you remember all the news headlines from back then right? Months after everything happened, people were still talking about it. Then when Helios crashed, people were saying they were gonna go bankrupt. Crazy timeline we're living in, huh," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't doubt that," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I hope they're scared," Krieg whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. She knew she was right, afterall.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They could see Lynchwood in the distance, the water tower standing still, the time of day slowly ticking up on its giant clock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wonder what Sal's been up to recently," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's a butcher at the core! My tongue has never felt such an orgasm! I'm all drippy just thinking about it!" Krieg cackled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's been doing some cooking recently, yeah. I don't like seeing thumbs in my chilli though." Maya laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmpf. Next she'll say I can't elbow grease my sternum burger." Krieg shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton laughed. "You let him cook for you Maya?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was just trying to be polite," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You </span>
  <em>
    <span>ate </span>
  </em>
  <span>it?" Axton blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I gave most of it to him!" Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg did a little chef's kiss. "Even if my stomach was ripping at the seams, I'd want it as my last meal!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You two have been on this planet way too long." Axton laughed, shaking his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Soon I'll taste every finger the universe points at me." Krieg clapped his hands together, glancing over at Maya. "A banquet for royalty."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. Not many other places do cannibal cuisine like Pandora." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll see." Krieg said. His voice was sing-songy and playful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ship stopped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think this is our stop," Axton said. "Hope that chilli is as good as you say, bud. I'm counting on you." He nudged Krieg's arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Heh." Krieg nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's get going! Zane and Fl4k can meet us down there." Maya smiled, sitting up and shaking Krieg's shoulder a bit. They all got up to leave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ramp hadn't been let down yet, the three of them put their minds together for a second to figure out something else. Then it came to them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg and Maya went to go find a rope while Axton scouted out the best spot to tie it up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a loud thwacking noise and a mountain of dusty fabric came down on Axton like an avalanche.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh oh!" Krieg shouted, axe in hand. He ran back over to him. "I'm your life preserver! Stay out of the snake pit before you get bitten!" He held his other hand out for him after putting away his buzz axe. He then helped Axton up, moving some of the ropes aside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You used the flag?" Axton sneezed, shuffling around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The little one with the skull on top, I'll add it to my collection." Krieg chuffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a lot bigger than you thought it was, huh. Zane's gonna be pissed." Axton laughed. "Come help me tie it up, bigman."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I told you not to use that one." Maya called from across the deck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, it's fine, we can make it work." Axton smiled back at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you say so." She went over to help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg pulled the rope in a slipknot over the end of the ship's railing and tossed the rest of it down the side. It whipped the side of the boat, clanging and scuffing against it. The flag got all tied up in it on the way down. They weren't being too quiet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who's first?" Krieg's throat rumbled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You go, you're the heaviest." Axton suggested. "We gotta see if it holds." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What if it doesn't?" Maya raised her eyebrows at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You tell me, Ms. Magical Phaselock powers. Plus, you're a masochist anyways, right, Krieg? Broken ankles are pretty hip and in with the kids these days." Axton grinned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg's eye lit up with glee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I'll catch you. Don't worry." Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg sighed in disappointment. "I wanted to take flight. How come the sky wants me on the ground," He grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because I don't like seeing you getting hurt. Now, get on that rope and we can go see Salvador." Maya put her hands on her hips. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg peered over the edge of the ship at the rope, and then back at Maya and Axton. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The rope is there for a reason, dude. We can go skydiving later," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg grumbled to himself again, grabbing the rope with both hands and hopping over the edge of the ship. Axton and Maya could hear his steel-toed boots hit the side of the ship a few times before he kicked off and let himself slide down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh great, now he's got no skin on his palms." Axton slapped his forehead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We make compromises." Maya sighed. "Rope burn is easier to deal with than broken bones, that's for sure."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll go next," Axton said, looking down at Krieg, who had made it to the ground and was waving his bright red fingers at them, drawing a heart on his chest with the blood and laughing like it was a party trick. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Awh, he's such a romancer, huh Maya?" Axton said, half sarcastically. He pulled himself over the side of the ship and began climbing down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smiled. She was touched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once Axton was on the ground she started going down the rope herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was trickier than it seemed from an outside perspective. The rope was tangled up in some parts and the fibers were frayed, poking into Maya's ungloved hand if she grasped it too hard. The more down she went, the rope felt more sticky and damp. When she pulled her hands away from the rope to get a better hold, her palms were smeared with streaks of grime from the dirty rope, mixed in with Krieg's blood. It wasn't too bad, it just accentuated how dusty and old the rope was, though. He'd have to wash his hands so the burns wouldn't get infected. Maya had no idea if Krieg could even get tetanus, but she didn't really want to know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rope didn't reach all the way to the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya swallowed hard, letting herself dangle off of the end of it for a while, trying to get as near the ground as she could before letting go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She never hit the ground though, instead landing in Kriegs large, blood and dust caked arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey what's the deal? You didn't catch </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> when I jumped off!" Axton crossed his arms. "Maybe I should dye my hair blue or something. Get some TLC for myself." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can catch you, but first I'll have to throw you." Krieg said menacingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton laughed. "I'm just kidding," he said, holding his hands up defensively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmpf." Krieg grunted. He set Maya down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya wiped her hands off on her thighs and glanced over at Krieg's palms. Most of his hand was covered by fabric or bandages but the bases and pads of his fingers were torn to shit. It looked painful, but he didn't even seem to notice it other than how he kept trying to pick more skin off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you want me to fix that?" Maya asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head. "I'm gonna paint so many beautiful pictures with these. I wanna see the skin bubble up and peel back over and over. The slipperier my axe, the more tasty the kill," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How are you gonna eat if there's no skin on your hands?" Maya asked as they walked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"With my teeth, tongue and the creature that stirs the stomach slurry." Krieg laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Classy," Axton said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They heard the sounds of the trains going through the town, in and out the station. There was no sound coming from the abandoned drilling yard other than the muffled humming from the cannibal squatters that had set up there. They passed by small restaurants, shops and drugstores. The town seemed much more lively now that Sal was in charge; they could hear music playing from the saloons, and they watched as somebody was thrown out of a window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Somehow it's gotten even more 'wild cowboy' since the last time I was here," Axton said. "Sal must be popular with these guys."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. He says he's the sheriff now, but really he's acting like he owns the place. He can do whatever he wants. Kadam would've had a shit-fit if she knew what he let happen." Maya shrugged.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a long line of people going from the sheriff's office down the street all the way to one of the many bars in town. A big sign on top of Sal's office read, </span>
  <em>
    <span>'aliens, robots and weird magical beings get first pick!' </span>
  </em>
  <span>And</span>
  <em>
    <span> 'no stabbing while in line, por favor.'</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded in approval when she realized all these people were in line to try and become a Vault Hunter. She didn't know what Sal was doing but whatever it was, it was working.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's push through and surprise him, whaddya say?" Axton suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smiled. "I'm liking it, how about Krieg?" She looked behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn't there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where's Krieg?" She asked Axton.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, I thought he was behind us." Axton turned around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, he's not anymore. You didn't see him leave?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No. How'd he sneak away from us? The guy's huge!" Axton looked around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everybody is huge here, Ax, this is gonna be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!" Maya was beginning to panic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, calm down. Maybe he just went to the Quick-Change Station! He had to get his mask back right? Let's check there." Axton grabbed her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I guess. He would've told me if he wanted to stop though. He doesn't usually run off like that." Maya followed him down the street.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He used to! Remember back when we first went to Overlook? He was gone through that entire week, you thought he was gone for good, but then we found him asleep under the bridge and it turned out he took a wrong turn and ended up in Thousand Cuts for seventy-two hours. By the time he realized we weren't there we were already in Sanctuary!" Axton laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, that was different! He was discombobulated from being phase transferred like that. We all were, remember? I couldn't walk in a straight line for two days! Plus, that was seven years ago. He's different now. He's gotten a lot better." Maya sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You say that like I don't like him," Axton said. "He's a good guy, Maya, don't get me wrong. He's just a little floaty in the head, you know. That's not a bad thing. Brings a lot to his character, actually."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know. I'm just getting worked up, that's all. He's probably gonna get himself hurt. I'm worried," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She called out Krieg's name, turning a few heads.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You of all people know he can handle himself. Don't worry." Axton reassured her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's just reckless. He doesn't watch his back, then he gets cornered easier. And he just takes it. You've seen it before, right?" She called his name again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He works the best like that, I think. Maybe it's the adrenaline rush." Axton shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't want him hurt, okay? Let's just find him and get to Sal."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They made it to the Quick-Change Station, but there was no sign of Krieg. Maya could feel herself go pale in the face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is bad," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's probably fine." Axton rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, it's not. What if he got pushed in front of the trains? We gotta find him, Ax." Maya called out again, spinning around in a circle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was suddenly a loud crashing noise coming from the train station alleyway. Somebody screamed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya's head turned instinctively towards the noise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think we found him," Axton whistled.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They both peered around the corner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a steady stream of bullets rolling down the alleyway leading to a smashed vending machine, along with Krieg. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was crouched over another man, holding his buzzaxe close to his throat and pinning his head down with his other hand. Looking past them, a mangled corpse of another was sprawled out on the ground. Streaks of blood were splattered across the wall where the dead man had tried to catch his fall on the way down, still fresh and shiny. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Krieg!" Maya called. "What are you doing?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His buzz axe wirred loudly as Krieg looked up from what he was doing. "A sniveling maggot rotting in the shadow! My cricket let me out! Squash the bug!" He snarled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Maya slapped her side, trying to reach for her book. Krieg was right, it wasn't there anymore. "I didn't even notice!" She exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You got a lot of balls to steal from a siren, dude." Axton looked over the man, shaking his head with disappointment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It-it wasn't my idea! Please tell him to let go... I'll give it back! I swear!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nuh-uh. Krieg, squeeze his head a little harder. He's lying," Maya said, squatting down next to the man. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "You should be ashamed of yourself. Making him go after your ass like that? Only to blame it on your buddy over there? If he was still alive, would you just throw him under the bus like that? Or is it because he's dead? Do you have any respect for anybody else but yourself? Seriously. It's bad enough being a thief, but then you gotta go and try making my friend here think he misused his time by killing your buddy so quickly, when he could've done the same thing he's doing to you now. Is that how you get off? You gaslight people? You make me sick!" Maya shook her head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tsk-tsk." Krieg shook his head at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Gah! Please! I'll give you money… and the book! Let me go!" The man screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where's the book, hotshot?" Axton asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Under-" the man squeaked. His eye was bulging between Krieg's large fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya stuck her hands underneath his backside and pulled out the stolen book. She flipped through the pages, making sure nothing was missing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't want the money," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg took this as a sign to let go. His buzz axe slowed down and the extended scrap metal  teeth cooled off rapidly until they went back to their original color, but it was still incredibly hot. Licks of smoke danced in the air like a candle had just been blown out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man's face was bruised badly and his nose was broken in multiple places.  He had a few missing teeth and a deep gash in his shoulder from where Krieg had first swiped at him. He was still pinned to the ground, but he could breathe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why did you let go?" Maya glanced up from the book.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg stared at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mercy," he said softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey! Nice one bud, wow! Oh my god!" Axton smiled, rubbing Krieg's back. "Proud of you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, kill him," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Axton blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg was silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You heard me. This guy got his greasy fingerprints on the covers, and ripped the corner of the index page. Do you know how long I've kept this thing nice? This book is ancient history! Cave this shithead's skull in!" Maya closed the book.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maya, it's just a book. We got it back anyways, why waste time? We could just go, the guys probably gonna bleed to death anyways," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just do it, Krieg." Maya urged him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a wet crunching noise as blood and brain matter splattered across the brick wall. When Krieg lifted his hand up, a sheet of human tissue came up with it, dripping down saliva and blood and mucus. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"C'mon, you got the book back. Let's go meet up with Sal before the newbies catch up to us," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Maya said, wrapping her arms around Krieg's shoulders. "I'm glad you're okay."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded slowly, holding back from hugging her so he didn't smear any blood on her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Make sure you say something before running off again, okay big guy? Maya almost popped a blood vessel." Axton laughed nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did not! I was just a little worried you were gonna get hurt is all.=," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg was silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They made it back to the Quick Change station. Axton turned around while Krieg took off his bandanna and eyepatch so the machine could scan his face. His mask digistructed right where the make-shift one used to be. He stuck the bandanna in his pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really, though!" Axton called as both Krieg and Maya walked off towards the sheriff's office where the new Vault Hunters were being recruited. "You can get quiet for such a loud guy sometimes! It's not a bad thing or anything." Axton started running after them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stopped at the end of the line.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey- hey what's the deal? First Maya gets all weird with the head smashing now you guys are running away from me? I thought- I thought we were trying to rekindle old bonds or whatever?" Axton said, putting his hands on his hips and taking a deep breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The weasel popped between my fingers like a zit," Krieg said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You were gonna let him go if I didn't say anything."  Maya looked up at Krieg.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. "I'm starving! Where's the little pebble pot boy with my beggars soup?" Krieg groaned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just go in front of everybody." Axton said, walking ahead of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey asshole! Where are you off to? I don't see any blue tattoos on your arm!" Somebody grabbed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton looked over his shoulder. "You don't recognize me? Seven years ago? I liberated you fuckers! C'mon!" He rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let him go, jack-wad," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Okay." The guy let go as soon as he realized. "Have a nice day fellas. Tell Sheriff I said howdy…" He tipped his hat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded and went along with Axton, Krieg following close behind. He chuffed as he passed by. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At last they were at the head of the line. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton went in without knocking, rubbing his hands together and smiling like he was ready for a really violent high five. Or low five. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Please sir, I'd be great for the raiders! Jus' gimme a chance man, c'mon!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somebody was standing in front of Salvador's desk, holding a sniper rifle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The back wall of the Sheriff's Office was riddled with photographs, posters, magazine clippings, sticky notes, Sal's grocery list, and of course bullet holes. So many bullet holes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Salvador had his feet up on his desk, and his head back in his chair. A Jakobs revolver hung lazily in his right hand, he was spinning another one around in his left. His hat covered his eyes, but he was smiling. His beard was longer than it had been since Maya had last seen him. Strands of gray stood out from the deep indigo color he had naturally. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't care! I said NEXT!" He hollered out before firing the left revolver into the ceiling. It was a wonder how the building was still standing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Awh, man." The man left, dejected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton slapped his back as he left. "You'll get it next time bud," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton did a little twirl before walking right up to Salvador and slamming his hands on his desk, making the half full bottles of booze and shot glasses rattle like a freight train. Sal didn't even flinch. He just went back to twirling his gun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, you got in fast, </span>
  <em>
    <span>compadre</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Go on, tell me why you think you're so tough," Salvador groaned, not taking off his hat to look at them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, Sal? It's me! I haven't seen you in seven whole-ass years, my guy!" Axton said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Salvador took off his hat and his eyes widened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Axton!" He laughed. "How the hell are you, brother? You never call me! I was startin' to think you'd dropped dead!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Salvador reached over the table to give Axton a hug, smacking him in the center of his back before sitting back down and giving him a fist bump. He looked at Maya and Krieg.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Say, are we getting the band back together or somethin'? What's going on here?" He asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We just came over to say hi before heading back to Sanctuary. We wanted to see if you've found anybody yet," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I expedited hours for the meat!" Krieg shouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh!" Salvador clapped his hands. "I've got somethin' for ya, </span>
  <em>
    <span>amigo</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Gimme a sec." He got up and cleared his throat and started shuffling around his things. He was humming an old song they all used to sing around the campfire together when they'd go on long overnight missions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened up a small fridge and pulled out a skewer with chunks of mystery meat and a few mushrooms on it, handing it over to Krieg. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Taste this." He said. "I been tryna' perfect my recipe! You've got the best pallet this side of the Eridium Scar, Krieg. You tell me if it needs somethin'." He put his hands on his hips and waited as Krieg lifted his mask and popped the whole skewer in his mouth like it was a candy. When he pulled it back out, it was clean. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chewed for a while, before raising his brow and swallowing. He looked happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The sweetest assaults are the ones that make your tongue fall out! I'm still hungry!" Krieg nodded, handing the skewer back to Sal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I knew I could count on that mouth!" Salvador laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He tossed the wooden stick to the side and leaned back on his desk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's been a rough day so far, lot's of people come in here and none of them know jack shit about what their doin'! I feel like they're just doing it to get out! How 'bout you all? Find anyone good?" He sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We found a killer robot!" Axton said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And an old man," Maya snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, that's better than nothin'!" Sal smiled. "We can just be the other four! I'm needing a vacation anyhow!" He suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll do what we have to. We should keep rolling with these guys outside though. Mind if we help?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Be my guest," Salvador said. "You still hungry, Krieg? I've got some leftovers from last night in the freezer out back. Go wild." He grabbed a ring of keys off his desk and tossed them over to Krieg. He nodded and headed out the back door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not gonna have any food left in about fifteen minutes," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Salvador nodded. "Nahhh, it's fine. I keep that stuff stockpiled for him anyhow. I got my own fridge." He winked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can smell the bonfire already! That was fast." Axton looked out the window to see Krieg holding a frozen skag leg over his hand, which was up in a blaze. "How do you just do that?" Axton shouted. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Krieg laughed and waved at them from outside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's having fun. Now, onto the guys outside. I wanna get back to Sanctuary tonight. Preferably with more than two people," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well if you were on a time crunch, you shoulda said something!" Salvador blinked. "Alright </span>
  <em>
    <span>pendejos</span>
  </em>
  <span>, breaks over! Next person!" Salvador hollered, picking his revolver off the desk and firing it into the ceiling again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was an audible shuffle of people outside, a few of them swore and a fistfight had broken out. Salvador didn't seem too bothered by it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Great sheriffing, Sheriff," Axton said snidely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, well I'm a better sheriff than your wife's a spouse, </span>
  <em>
    <span>puta</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Salvador popped a fat cigar in his mouth and lit it, blowing smoke up into Axton's face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the controlled chaos outside was interrupted by Zane and Fl4k pushing through. They were bringing somebody along with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They burst into the room and Fl4k had to stand in the doorway like a barricade to keep everybody from all coming in like zombies and tearing them apart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maya! Axton!" Zane gasped for air. He put his hands on his knees for a moment to catch his breath. "Real kind of ye to run off like that! Leavin' me an' the robit alone. Should be ashamed of yerselves. Almost missed it too," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We've found another," Fl4k chimed in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Another candidate? Let's meet her then!" Axton said, looking over to the woman they had brought in with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her hair was back in a ponytail and the tips were bleached, colored bright turquoise. Her makeup was very elegant, it accentuated all of the best parts of her face and added to her femininity without making it too obvious. She was quite attractive, which was probably why Axton was looking her up so hard. She had broad shoulders, and thick arms. Her stomach was toned and she had nice abs. Her thighs were good too, perfect head crushing size. She looked like she did sports, like wrestling or hockey or something with a lot of physical contact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thing Maya noticed the most about her, though, were her tattoos.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was a siren.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My name is Amara," She said. "I had a vision telling me to come to Pandora. I hear the Crimson Raiders want to hunt for another Vault. I want to join you."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Tiger Queen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"A vision? Of what?" Maya locked eyes with Amara instantly, she didn't break contact while asking.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know," Amara said. "I didn't really see anything. I heard something, though. Faintly. It was a woman's voice. I don't remember what she said exactly; everything was so blurry and slow like a dream, but it was real.  She told me to come to Pandora. I know it's in my destiny to open a Vault. It has to be something connected to sirens. You must know what I mean, Maya?" She dipped her head a bit. "Excuse me, ma'am. I've just looked up to you for so long. Ever since I turned eighteen, actually. You Vault Hunters had your pictures everywhere back home. I wanted to be just like you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya was touched. "Really? Where are you from?" She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Partali," Amara said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, I did a modeling tour over there once! They got crazy showbiz." Axton nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nice place to start a drug cartel," Zane mumbled under his breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I got my powers when I was young. People picked on me up until the first Vault opened, then they were all afraid. I learned that Hyperion wanted Vault Hunters for a Vault on Elpis, and I started training. I was too young then, and too young when you opened the Vault of the Warrior, but now it's my turn." Amara clenched her fists.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "I like you. I wanna see what you can do," she said. "Sal, you got any bounties you need filled? I wanna test this girl." Maya turned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"None that I can't take care of myself," Salvador groaned. "Why doesn't she go take care of Dunkino for a while, huh? He's a great test of character!" He suggested sarcastically, blowing a cloud of smoke through his teeth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dunkino? He's still alive?" Axton asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, he's still alive! Are you kiddin'? Bastard is fat as all hell now. Just like his mama. 'Cept not as hateful." Salvador rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I sense you are talking about a skag. I wish to see it," Fl4k said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Course you do." Zane snickered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe that's actually a good idea. If you can take Dunkino out for a walk without knocking down half the town, that's gotta count for somethin'," Salvador suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I like it. You could probably get him fed, too. Sorry about all the busywork, by the way. We'll have a lot more to do once we leave." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's go take out the dog." Axton smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went back to the old cave Dunkino slept in, being careful of any squatters living under the broken eridium mining drills around the mountainside. Salvador stayed back to see if anybody else made the cut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg was sucking on an unidentified femur bone he'd gotten from raiding Sal's freezer. It was one of the last things in there; you could see it in Krieg's eye that he was satisfied. He was going to drop into a food coma as soon as they got back to the ship. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Good timing, too, the sun was just about to set. They had been out all day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, where's this skag I'm supposed to take care of?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He sleeps right in the middle of the clearing down there. He's huge, you can't miss him," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll go with you, Amara," Fl4k said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They jus' wanna pet the damn thing. I'll head down too, I suppose. To keep ye in check, robit." Zane smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know, I think we'll all go see him. It's been a while. What do you think, Maya?" Axton asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya glanced over at Krieg. "I dunno guys. Axton, you go with them and Krieg and I will keep watch from up top by the old drill site. Sounds good?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I can dig it." Axton smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, Krieg, you come with me." Maya grabbed Krieg's hand and took him along back around the mountainside and to the lift taking them up to the drillsite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared blankly out the collapsable fence keeping them in the elevator. Maya could tell he was deep in thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was quiet, besides the squeaking and moaning of the old elevator and the general sounds of the area, of course. It was almost uncomfortable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know why I'm nervous about going back to Athenas, right?" Maya asked after a while. They got off the elevator together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded. He still wasn't making eye contact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've tried to push it out of my mind for so long. I thought I had gone through everything on that planet back and forth a million times over. Guess I was wrong. Don't know how I missed something like a Vault key piece. I wonder how they're doing over there, with the war and all. It's funny, really, how far they've dug themselves. The cult wasn't always there, you know. It used to be a cultural hotspot just like Promethea or Minos Prime.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something happened though, after the last queen died. She was a siren, apparently a pretty strong one too. There's statues of her everywhere. Well, there used to be at least. I might've scared them into taking it all down. Shame, I could kill to see what it was like back then. Before all the brainwashing." Maya sat down on the edge of the cliff, swinging her legs over the side and taking a deep breath now that she and Krieg were alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Royal blood. They'd call you the blue queen." Krieg chuffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You really think I'm related to her? Nah, they would've killed me as a baby if that was the case. Maybe they tried." Maya thought for a second.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg sat down next to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't remember seeing too many kids my age playing outside. Then again, I didn't go outside much. Not in the daytime anyways." Maya put her chin in her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They stabbed you with a silver spoon," Krieg said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, maybe. They couldn't kill me so they tried to control me. Makes sense. Man, did I hate that place." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Massacre for the Mansons! I'll bloody my spit in their Eucharist." Krieg chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're probably all gone by now anyway. They've got no siren to worship anymore; doomsday never came. It's probably just being used for supplies for the war. I don't doubt Maliwan wants to put research sites there now that slag can't be used in guns. We stayed in the loop with trade only because of the Eridian Salt we shipped out. That shit was heavy. I remember sneaking out and getting high off my ass on it as a teenager; I'll bet it's gotta have some elemental properties to it."  Maya smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Salt?" Krieg repeated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, that's just what people used to call it. It was probably just like, really diluted Eridum crystal. You could go to the beach and see it caked on rocks and stuff, it was this really light pink color. People would scrape it off and snort it for a trip. There's a lot of names for it, actually. I remember overhearing Sophis making deals with people off-world, some called it Ocean Powder, others just called it 'The Stuff'. This one guy called it ‘Siren Dust’, that was pretty funny. But anyways, the point is that now that slag is gone they're probably looking for a substitute, right? It probably wouldn't be hard to do the same thing to that stuff as they did to Eridium to make slag. Maybe it wouldn't be as strong, but still." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg looked worried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I doubt they're doing testing there. There's not enough room. Everything is just cliffs and water with a few rocky beaches scattered around. That's how the Order kept a leash on everybody, you know. Said it was too dangerous to make settlements anywhere other than the eastern hemisphere," Maya assured him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded and went back to sucking on his femur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You feeling alright, big guy? You seem upset about something," Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg let a noise out from his throat, but that was all. Whatever it was, he wasn't ready to put words to it yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love you." Maya scooted closer to him, offering a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My blood pumps for you," Krieg said back. "Always."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, it went quiet again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked down by the cave where they had left the rest of the group. Dunkino's large head had poked out of the opening and she could see Zane and Amara down there running for their lives in front of him. Fl4k was on top of the giant skag, while Axton was running behind them, waving his arms around like he was trying to get Dunkino's attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg chuckled to himself. Maya could see why, they looked like ants all the way down there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dunkino had stopped at the end of the ramp leading towards town, and sniffed at the air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The skag had gotten big and fat over the years, Salvador wasn't lying. He probably fed him the same kind of diet he fed Krieg when he visits, except have the amount multiplied ten times over. That dog had a taste for human meat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dunkino turned his attention towards the squatter settlement right on the outskirts of town. They had to either let the skag eat, or steer it away from any of the mutants living there. Whatever they thought of, it had to be fast. Dunkino had now passed both Zane and Amara, and was charging full speed into the Rats' Nest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Amara wanted to show off what she could do, now would be the right time. Maya watched intently as a flash of blue light sprung out from the woman. It was like nothing Maya had ever seen before, six glowing arms outstretched from Amara's backside, twitching and grasping at the air like they had a mind of their own. It was almost grotesque, but captivating in it's own special way. Amara ran faster, kicking up sparks at her feet before scaling a large rock and propelling herself into the air. As soon as she took flight, Maya watched her slam herself down to the ground with her left fist outstretched. The noise it made was loud enough to hear from all the way where Maya and Krieg were sitting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya felt chills run up her spine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ground around Amara began to shift, casting blue and green sparks up with every rock that broke. It was like she'd caused an earthquake. Suddenly, a fist reached out from one of the gaps in the earth and grabbed at Dunkino.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rubbed her eyes. She thought maybe she was hallucinating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane and Axton were probably thinking the same thing, because they both stopped dead in their tracks.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Another arm burst from the ground, sending up a cloud of dust at the base, reaching for the runaway skag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara brushed herself off before continuing her chase. More and more arms came up from the ground as she went. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya realized, maybe the intention wasn't to grab Dunkino, but to lead him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went around in loops around empty train cars, old eridium pumps, throwing the tracks around like confetti. They were absolutely tearing the place up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fl4k seemed totally oblivious to all of it. That, or they didn't care too much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dunkino was picking up snacks on the way around,  the intention obviously wasn't to keep anybody safe, apparently. It seemed Amara was just leading the skag in circles at this point. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Amara had raised her left arm up high in the air, similar to what maya did when she was phaselocking. A giant arm rose from the ground, bigger than the last, a ball of energy set in its grasp. Amara brought her hand down again, sharply. The giant arm came down around Dunkino, catching the skag, and Fl4k in its fist and surrounding it with the blue matter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara ran up beside Dunkino, now that he'd stopped. She climbed up his back legs like a bullymong would, using her extra limbs to thrust herself upward and onto the skag's plated back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She set herself right next to Fl4k on the skag's neck and, using her extra arms, gripped the skags horns like handlebars. She was still standing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She clapped her hands– her </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> hands– together and all of the phase-casted arms around them vanished into thin air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara pulled Dunkino's head back and led him back to Zane and Axton. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya was in awe. Krieg had dropped his femur and was sitting with his mouth hanging open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, she's definitely coming with us," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara looked up at the two and waved all eight arms at them. They spun around in a circle once before another flash of blue light erupted from her shoulder blades, and the extra arms were gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya dragged Krieg down to the lower level and ran back to them. Krieg was left in the dust to catch up. He didn't mind, though. He still had to process what he'd just seen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How was I?" Amara wiped sweet from her forehead, sliding down Dunkino's side with ease.  The skag sat down, exhausted from all the running.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seriously? That was awesome!" Maya exclaimed. "I've read about phase-caster sirens before, but I had no idea it would look like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Is it always arms? Or can you do, like, tentacles or spikes or something?" She put her hands on Amara's shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She blushed a bit. "They've always been arms, as far as I could remember. I always thought it was a bit weird, considering you and Lilith were always shown on TV with those fire-y wings. Hell, I was so upset, I had based an entire move off the phaselock! Gee, sis, I'm glad you like them!" Amara laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sis?" Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, my bad. I just thought… I'm not sure what I thought, really. Sorry ma'am." Amara cleared her throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smiled. "I'm flattered. You've got a lot of potential, and double that in raw power alone. Your technique is a bit messy, though, it was almost more like watching a performance rather than a struggle. And that's a lot of collateral damage, even for us." Maya smiled, patting Amara's shoulder supportively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, the giant appendages frightened him badly. He requires more food in order to sustain this large stature," Fl4k chimed in, scratching Dunkino's large head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I did professional wrestling back home. It's gonna take some time to shake those habits, but I can do it!" Amara nodded triumphantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll tell you what, how about I take you under my wing? I'll teach you everything I know. Sound good, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sister</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Maya offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara's eyes widened. "Like an apprenticeship? I'd be honored," She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a deal then." Maya smiled. “Let's finish up here and we can get back to Sanctuary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An hour or so went by as they continued getting food for Dunkino. By the time they had finished, it was dusk. The sky was gray and the air felt a lot colder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's go back to Sal, I'm hungry as hell," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mm... meat." Krieg nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Didn't he just eat?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's like a bottomless pit, that one." Zane laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I am not hungry," Fl4k announced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Obviously," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But the flock needs to be fed. So does he," Fl4k continued. Meat Thief was tucked snuggly in their jacket, eyes big and curious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I just noticed that was there," Zane said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Same." Axton nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's just go back, okay? It is getting pretty late. We gotta check in with Lilith," Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I forgot!" Axton said, strolling along. "Commander's gonna be so surprised. This has to be the weirdest batch so far right? Like, for real, how rare is it that you get two and a half sirens in one batch of Vault Hunters?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, crap, I forgot about the DeLeon twins. That makes five of them. We should have enough to go back then. Lilith had four people opening the Vault of the Destroyer, right? Five is more than enough," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do the twins even know how to hold a gun?" Axton asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They better learn soon, we're gonna be leaving pretty much as soon as we get back. The S3 is ready for liftoff, according to Ellie. You're coming with us, right Ax?" Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well see, I've been meaning to talk to you about that," he said. "My agent told me specifically that my contract ends as soon as another scar gets on this pretty ass face. Seriously Maya, guy’s an asshole. I can't risk it. I'm breaking rules coming back out here to meet you guys already," Axton sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really? You're seriously quitting Vault Hunting to be a nude model? Wow Ax, you've grown soft." Maya glared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, don't say it so loud!" Axton hushed her. "It's a good gig, okay? I'm doing the best I've ever been mentally; do you know how good it feels to be loved after so many years of being treated like shit? It feels fucking amazing, Maya. I can't lose that." Axton explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya sighed. "Yeah. I know. I know exactly what you mean. I'm not forcing you," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really? Everybody loves you, girl. Always has." Axton rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya ignored him. "Fix your makeup, model boy. Your lashes look spidery." She said, shoving him in the side before running off to walk besides Krieg.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had made it back to town in time to see all the lights flicker on. The town glowed a light and hazy orange against the sandy mountain bases. From a distance, travelers might accidentally consider Lynchwood to be a nice place for a rest stop while traveling through the Dust. They'd be wrong, of course. Lynchwood was just like any other place on Pandora. With or without Sal in charge, it still was full of its fair share of bad people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not all of them were bad though, as proven by the long line of folks so eager to get into the Crimson Raiders. Maybe, like, thirty percent of that line was full of good people. Thirty percent is a good number in comparison to some of the other places on the map. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was pretty strange how people found Lynchwood. The population had surged after Hyperion had let it go, despite everybody thinking it was gonna go down like a lead blimp. Trains make for gold trading, though. Lynchwood managed to keep afloat by selling weaponry. Weaponry attracts people on Pandora, that's probably why people came.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Other people though, people like Amara, came there because they didn't know anywhere else on Pandora. With Sanctuary's Fast Travel code being exclusive, the only other places to go to become a Crimson Raider were Lynchwood, and Opportunity. Foreigners were real scared of landing in Opportunity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If that's it, then what's this girls deal? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Maya thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stood in Salvador's office, staring down a short woman in tattered Vladof heavy armor. She had her arms crossed and her legs firm on the floor. Unmoving. She looked tired and angry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was more concerning was the large mech that was stationed behind her. It didn't seem like it should be sentient, but it was. Every now and then the miniguns on its sides would click and shift back and forth like it was stretching its arms or something. It was creepy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, great." Salvador groaned. "hat brings you here today miss… miss..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's Moze," the woman grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, that’s the name. This is the third time this week. What, is your water pipe broke again? What's wrong with ya?" Salvador sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm moving out. This Vault Hunting crap is gonna bring the war here. I don't want to get caught up in it again. Neither does Iron Bear," Moze said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine by me. I won't be able to help you out there you know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>amiga</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Hope you can take care of yourself." Salvador sighed, marking something down on a sticky note and slapping it against his cluttered wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're kiddin' me, right?" Moze said. "I've gone this long, haven't I?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not many other guys on this planet will give you a free home, </span>
  <em>
    <span>amiga</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I know Vladof might've had you all in utopia, but things are different here. Money matters." Salvador clicked his tongue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll figure something out. Thanks. You've been a real help, Sheriff. Really," Moze said, standing up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hang on a second," Amara called out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze turned around to face the sudden noise, seeing all of them in the doorway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's got you so mad about Vault Hunters, huh? You have a problem with Vault hunting?" Amara put her hands on her hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I do, siren. What are you gonna do about it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. A Walking Tank and a Schedule to Keep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Moze walked up to Amara and put her nose in her face— like something right out of those war movies— except Moze was a couple inches shorter than Amara. She'd have to get on her tippy toes to pose even an ounce of a threat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You really think you can knock </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> down?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe not. I got three and half tons of steel and firepower backing me up, though. Your move," Moze whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The mech began turning to face them. It clicked into position and reset its guns patiently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Amara, let her go. We don't need trouble," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara exhaled from her nose and backed down. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall. "Pity," she said. "I was hoping there would be a brawl. The look on your face after beating you to a pulp would've been awesome." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Next time, maybe," Moze said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was halfway out the door when Axton spoke up. "You're wearing Vladof heavy infantry gear. I thought they were stationed on Talanthus." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze whipped her head around. "That’s none of your god damn business, Vaulter." She frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She came to me last week after her superior sent the whole unit on a suicide mission. Said she was the last one left after the smoke lifted. I told her she could stay in Lynchwood free of charge," Salvador said. "War's got people sent all over the galaxy. I'd feel bad if a young girl like you went mad like the rest of us and I had a chance to stop it." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze looked startled that Sal said anything about it. "It was never gonna be for long, anyways. I just wanted to wait until things calmed down. Pandora was the safest option I had at the time; nobody at Dahl or Vladof wants to touch this place nowadays. I should've known you Crimson Raiders were gonna pull some bull like this eventually. All you Pandorans know is Vaults and bandits. I gotta get out of here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're a deserter," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No! I'm no coward! I was the last one left! I was alone! I had to leave. They were gonna kill me and take Iron Bear!" Moze snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, hey! I never said you were a coward! Look, kid, we got a few things in common. For one, we're both dead to our employers. Two, we both want nothing to do with Dahl. Vladof is another story but— listen, I know what it's like to be scared. You came to Pandora for the same reason I did. I can tell,"  Axton said, calmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh yeah?" Moze turned her head to the side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah! We've all got pending bounties on our heads, girl. You're not special!" Axton laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane snorted. "Ye can say that again, boyo." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ditto," Salvador said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Krieg's literally breaking the law by being alive right now!" Axton laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmf," Krieg snorted in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Listen, what I'm trying to say is, You're not so different from us '</span>
  <em>
    <span>Vaulters</span>
  </em>
  <span>', you feel me? Corporate hate and war crimes are kinda an unspoken rule around here. You want off Pandora so bad? Come with us. You said it yourself. Dahl and Vladof wont fuck with the Crimson Raiders." Axton held out his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why would I want to go to Promethea with you numbskulls? That's like the heart of the outer battlefront." Moze crossed her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The </span>
  <em>
    <span>outer </span>
  </em>
  <span>battlefront," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Vladof and Dahl have nothing to do with it," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Unless Atlas-Hyperion wants to rekindle that whole Fast-Travel ECHO dispute they had goin' for a while there after the ECHO-3 released, a' course. But, I doubt they're that stupid to," Zane commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They won't, statistically speaking. Even with the recent revitalization and jointing of Atlas, the Hyperion corporation is near bankrupt. They can't afford to send troops to more than one battlefront," Fl4k stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, smart bot." Zane nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Think about it," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze did exactly that. She put her hand on her chin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine," she said. "Don't expect me to stick around afterwards." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's our sixth! High five!" Axton said, raising his arm up in the air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg slapped it without hesitation, making Axton bring his hand immediately back down and rub his wrist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright. You've got a mech. That's good. Look at the time though! I've gotta get on the ECHO with Lilith and we've gotta start heading back," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You guys are leaving already?" Salvador asked. "We haven't even done shots yet!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll do shots with ye, boyo!" Zane perked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, no getting drunk until we're on the way to Athenas!" Maya grabbed his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She's right. How are you gonna be able to meet the Firehawk if you can't stand up straight, Flynt? She'll burn you to a crisp just like your brother!" Amara laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Maya blinked. "Alright, Zane, listen. Do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> mention anything about the Rippers when you talk to Lilith. Okay? It's just gonna make everything difficult," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane nodded. "Got ya." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're a Flynt?!" Salvador coughed. "I almost did shots with a Flynt! What else is gonna happen tonight? Maya, you devil! Lying to the commander!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not gonna lie to anybody, Sal, just staying quiet, okay? It's different. If you say anything though," she got real close to his face. "I'm gonna kill you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes ma'am." Salvador went white.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Burnt Turkey's on the dial up," Krieg said. His ECHO was beeping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shit! Answer it." Maya took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg pressed a button and Lilith's projection was projected in front of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"'Sup! thanks for finally picking up, guys. I was starting to get worried." Lilith sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Lil!" Maya said. "It's been a busy day, I was actually gonna call you." She laughed nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've been calling you and Axton for hours, Maya. What's the deal?" Lilith asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What— is my ringer off?" Maya shuffled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There was a pretty, uh... large explosion we got caught up in earlier. Maybe it just busted something," Axton said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And Krieg wasn't caught up in that explosion." Lilith blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, he was. Came out of that bitch completely unscathed, though. It was weird." Axton nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, and then he broke a few ribs, tore the skin off his palms, and almost got hit by a train. Fun stuff." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg waved at the sensor vigorously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, killer," Lilith said, amused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The shepherds have herded the lambs up for the slaughter!" Krieg announced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lilith looked over to Maya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We've found our Vault Hunters!" Maya clarified.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lilith clapped her hands together. "Alright!" She exclaimed. "What's our lineup?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked over to the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, lets see…" Maya gestured to them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Name's Zane. Special Ops. Boys call me the Operative!" Zane nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My vessel is called FL4K. I am the Beastmaster." Fl4k stepped forward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Moze reporting in. Heavy Gunner. This here's my Iron Bear mech."  Moze leaned back against Iron Bear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My name's Amara. I’m a Siren." Amara smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I heard ‘Siren’! I'm trusting the rest of you are some badasses yourself," Lilith nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How are the twins?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good. Tyreen's been helping me out with navigation plans. Troy’s being fitted with a prosthetic. I need you all back, though. Ellie needs help doing some last minute stuff. Can you make it back before morning?" Lilith said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, definitely. No problem," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why don't you guys just Fast Travel?" Sal asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's more than six of us," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just give the code," Sal said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, Sal. There's a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> more of us," Maya whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What? How many more?" Lilith asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, Zane's in a gang!" Axton said. "There's a lot of people willing to back us up!"  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really?" Lilith blinked. "The more the merrier. Fix your ECHOs. I'll see you later. Signing off." There was a click and Lilith was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya took a deep breath and looked around the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think fast travel might actually work better," Maya said. "Zane, if I give you Sanctuary's position right now, do you think your guys can get there by sunrise? I wanna speed things up out here." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, yeah. No problem. We'll have to go back and get the robit's beasts, though." Zane nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Here, I'll give it to you now, along with the fast travel code. You and Fl4k can go back there while Krieg, Axton and I will go together. Amara, Moze, you two can go together too." Maya pulled out her ECHO and pulled up the Fast Travel code.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The four of them nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't have an ECHO. They didn't want us buying Dahl products and I didn't wanna put my information out there so soon after going M.I.A.," Moze said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Neither do I. I've been wandering with the pack since I've gained consciousness," Fl4k chimed in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, it's a good thing we're doing buddy systems then! Once we're in Sanctuary, I'll have Claptrap give some to you two. He's got tons of them lying around." Maya pinged the code to Amara's and Zane's ECHO HUDs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She switched her Fast Travel capacity to three. Axton and Krieg both grabbed onto her shoulders and they disappeared from the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They re-appeared in Sanctuary's travel station a few seconds later. Amara and Moze materialized into view a few seconds after them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Woah," Moze said, holding her head. "I've never done that before." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Get used to it, girlfriend," Amara chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right, Axton, you go get Claptrap. Krieg and I will go talk with Lil." Maya said, grabbing Krieg's hand and pulling him off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whatever you say, Captain." Axton rolled his eyes. "Teacher’s pet. C'mon girls, let's get you initiated." He motioned them to come with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya and Krieg broke off from the group, and were walking up the stairs of HQ. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, that was faster than I thought." Lilith poked her head around the corner. "What happened with the operative's gang?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're coming. They have to use a sand skimmer boat. He and the robot should be here any minute," Maya assured her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And the other two?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Raiding Claptrap's ECHO stash."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The old locker?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, that one."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hm. I guess his hunch was right for once. Anyways," Lilith stopped herself before she could start rambling. "The twins showed me a clearer picture of where the Vault Key pieces are. Then I need you to talk to Ellie. I've been trying to get a crew going for you guys, but the only people willing to go anywhere is Earl and Marcus. I'm guessing you guys don't want them as your only company, right?" Lilith sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, that would be… uncomfortable," Maya nodded. "What about you though, Lil?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've gotta stay here. These guys have mixed feelings about all this. I'm worried we might have a mutiny if I leave Sanctuary now. You're my second in command, Maya. I trust you to lead these guys." Lilith put her hand on Maya's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I won't let you down, Commander," she said. "Where are the Key fragments exactly?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I'm glad you asked, Blight Phoenix Maya!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three of them turned their heads over to the map room where Troy and Tyreen were. Troy was standing up, showing off his new prosthetic arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The first Vault Key piece is somewhere in the Academic District on Athenas," Tyreen said, matter-of-factly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No it's not," Maya said without hesitation. "I've been there. I would've noticed something like a Vault Key piece. The people on Athenas don't even know anything about the Vaults. Why would they have a Vault Key piece in the first place?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Easy answer!" Troy shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I dunno where you've looked, lady, but there is totally a Vault Key piece in the Academic District," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How do you know?" Maya pressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because Dad put it there!" Troy announced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Maya blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He wrote about it in his journals. He got there before the cultists showed up, lucky thing too, or we would've been toast!" Tyreen smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's true, I've seen the book. These kids are serious about this, Maya. They've come prepared." Lilith nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What about the other two?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Those are still a little fuzzy. Dad wrote about one of the pieces being hidden at the old Atlas headquarters on Promethea, but who knows if that building is even up anymore." Tyreen shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The other is just totally missing. It's definitely on Promethea, though," Troy said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Crap," Maya said. "Going to the old Atlas building is gonna get us right to the heart of this war." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's what I was worried about," Lilith said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We can take it," Maya nodded. "We always do." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If things start going sour, let me know," Lilith said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ellie's waiting for you at Moxxi's. Go talk to her." Lilith patted Maya's back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll be right on it," Maya said. "C'mon, Krieg."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins waved at them on the way out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya and Krieg sat at the bar, finally being able to sit down after a long day. Krieg was beyond tired. Maya was beginning to feel her late night jolt of energy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanted to tell y'all," Ellie said. "I ain't coming with." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's pretty much what I've heard all day. Everybody complains so much about Pandora until it's time to leave, huh?" Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's just that— well, you know Scooter and how he went and all. Seeing that wreckage scared me," Ellie said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moxxi reached over the counter and clasped her hands over Ellie's supportively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know he would've wanted me to, like, fill his boots or whatever, but I just can't. Every time I think about going up there I feel sick to my gut. Partially why it took so long to build the S3 in the first place. I hope y'all understand."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "We still need a mechanic though," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was thinkin' about calling down Mrs. Springs from Elpis, she's real good with rockets. Dunno if she'd be willing though," Ellie said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moxxi let go of Ellie's hands for a moment and went to fill somebody's drink. When she came back she had a pleasant look on her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How about I take care of it? I know a thing or two about spaceships. I promise I'll be gentle with her," Moxxi winked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mama!" Ellie exclaimed. "You can't go up there, what if somethin' happens? I don't wanna lose you too!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nothing's gonna happen, sweetie. It's been a while since I've gotten some good action anyways. I'll decorate, have a workstation… it'll be nice." Moxxi nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well… alright." Ellie sighed. "Y'all better keep me on speed-dial though! I don't wanna miss none of that action, no-sir."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, that settles the one thing, but what about the rest of the crew? We don't have a medic, since Zed wants to stay here," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why don't you ask Tannis?" Moxxi suggested. "She's always bragging about her credentials. Plus, she seems like the type to endorse a </span>
  <em>
    <span>hands-on</span>
  </em>
  <span> approach to things… I mean with the Eridian artifacts."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, that might work. I'll ask her. Do you need help with anything else, Ellie?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm going down to finish up. If you meet me at the old Dahl radio station I'll probably have something for y'all," Ellie said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, we'll see you down there." Maya nodded. She tapped on Krieg's shoulder and he lifted his head off of the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh! I almost forgot." Moxxi leaned over and put her mouth right next to Krieg's ear. She whispered something to him too quiet for Maya to hear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg's eye widened and he turned to look at her, shocked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moxxi put a finger over her lips and hushed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya had to grab Krieg's shoulder and pull him out of the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, what was that about?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The bosom clown wants to tempt me," Krieg said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really? I didn't think she'd try it right in front of me." Maya huffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton and Claptrap were talking to the Vault Hunters outside of the Fast Travel station. Zane and Fl4k had finally shown up and Claptrap was taking his time interrogating the both of them. Maya guessed they were teaching Moze and Fl4k how to use their ECHOs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya opened the door to Tannis' office for Krieg. She could tell he was losing steam pretty fast now. Maya wondered how long he'd been awake for. It was more than a day by far.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Doctor Tannis!" Maya called. "It's Maya! I wanted to talk to you about something!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a loud pop noise from another room, and Tannis opened the door. There was lots of smoke coming out of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maya! What have I told you about yelling in my office?" Tannis pointed at a sign on the wall that said 'QUIET' in big red letters. "Has the brain-rot gotten that bad? I had such high hopes that you might be this planet's last literate messiah. A shame…" Tannis removed her goggles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rolled her eyes. "Sorry about the noise. I needed to ask you though, since Zed is staying here, would you mind sitting in as the medic while we're up there? I can help you with everything, of course. You'll get first access on any artifacts we find too," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tannis shook her head. "Oh, I had no intention of coming with you all. You'll just have to send me everything via the digistruct mail," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wha… I thought you were excited about this? You changed your mind that quickly?" Maya blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, you see, Lilith isn't going. So, in turn, neither am I. It's a simple reasoning," Tannis explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not attached to Lilith," Maya frowned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She's an excellent specimen. She also doesn't complain when my habits get the better of me. I'm rather comfortable here. Well, off with you then." Tannis began to try pushing them out of the room. Krieg was immovable, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Go on." Tannis looked up at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Plucking feathers won't make you grow wings," Krieg grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hm. Alright." Tannis backed off. "Maya, translate what he just said. I don't speak psycho." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He says you should stop trying to test on Lilith." Maya put her hands on her hips. "I agree, by the way. I found the box of hair you keep above the fridge, it's getting out of hand." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tannis blinked. "Well how else am I supposed to continue my research? I've made some new discoveries recently and Lilith has been a great comparative subject." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya thought for a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She reached into her coat pocket and unsheathed her knife that she had been using the day before. She put the blade up to her hair and cut a long piece of her left bang off. The hair fell jagged and messy in her face.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tannis gasped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Use this instead. I'm a siren too, aren't I? You should try getting other sources anyways. If you come with us, there's a lot more of that coming." Maya held out the lock of dark blue hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tannis took hold of it, running her fingers through it gently like she was petting an animal. She brought it up to her nose and took a deep inhale. She smiled. "That'll do nicely. I'll come with," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good." Maya turned around and marched out the door. Krieg ran right behind her, still in shock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's get our stuff up together, big guy. We're leaving soon." Maya said, speed walking towards her little run down apartment. She didn't look back at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pretty lady!" Krieg called. Maya kept walking though, all the way until she got to the front door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She fumbled with her house keys, blowing the short side of her bangs out of her face every once in a while with a loud puff of air.  She felt hot in the face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg ran up to her, putting his shoulder against the door and positioning himself so that he was eye level with her.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now what's the matter?" Maya said. She felt like water had just been shot up her nose. She didn't know why she was crying, it was just hair. She needed to get it cut anyways. It had been a long time since she'd done anything with it. It was looking more dark and dull recently. She hadn't dyed it in a while and her natural indigo color had come back in full swing. She could always go to the quick change station, or just do something with it manually. She hadn't even thought about doing it, though. This was the first time in a while she had even considered what it looked like. It was weird. She used to be really conscious about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg brushed the hair behind her ear and put his hand on her cheek. He knew she was crying before she even did. His hands were warm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't even care that much about it, honestly," Maya wiped her eyes. "It's okay."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're beautiful," Krieg whispered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded, lightly pressing her cheek into his palm. "I'm okay. Let's pack the stuff."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg hugged her. His whole body was as warm as his hands. Maya let out a deep breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They opened the door and started scanning.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After they finished up in Sanctuary, they met back up with everybody at the old Dahl radio station. They could see the S3 in all her glory. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Marcus had been loading boxes full of bullets onboard with the Vault Hunters’ and the DeLeon twins' help. Or at least, he was until he noticed Zane. He recognized him instantly and dropped the whole trip. He called Zane a thief, cussed him out and banned him from his stores. Zane wasn't too moved by it though, he smiled like it was an everyday occurrence. He wasn't planning on listening to the ban, obviously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya had been looking through the ship, admiring the hard work Ellie had put into it. Krieg, although he was tired, stayed with her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After getting the signal that they were all ready to go, they went to go say goodbye to everybody. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lilith put her hand on Maya's shoulder. "Go get us a Vault," she said. Maya smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're all backin' you up, girl," Ellie nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton was standing next to Ellie. Maya shrugged when she saw him. "You're really not coming with, huh? There's plenty of room on board, Ax. Are you really sure about this?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry. I'll keep in touch though. I think I'll stick around here for a while. When you guys come back, we’re gonna have such a big party. Everybody's gonna be invited. We'll do karaoke! It'll be fun," Axton laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm looking forward to it," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Axton hugged her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And Krieg, you take care of yourself, okay? I care about you, bud." Axton put his hand on Krieg's arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll be ripped to shreds and thrown back together before the bucket spills! Count your wishing tokens," Krieg said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, buddy!" Axton sniffed. "You're getting me all emotional! C'mere, both of you." He reached out and caught the two of them in a hug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love you guys. Stay safe, okay?" Axton cried. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rubbed his back. "We will," she said. "I promise."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They reboarded the ship and took off. The ship sailed across the sky like a fish swimming down a river. Soon, they weren't visible on the horizon. They had finally left on their way to hunt a new Vault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was time to go to Athenas.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Liebestraum No.3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Maya closed the door. Her room was fairly small; a bunk bed was pressed against the left side of the room and there was a large table coming out of the right corner. There was barely enough space for her bookshelf, but she'd made it work. She looked through her digistruct files and began setting things down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg had gone to go to the bathroom. He had also wanted to see the firing range with the Vault Hunters, so Maya was expecting him to be a while. Plenty of time to collect her thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The air filtration system buzzed overhead as she sat back on the bottom bunk. She had gone through everything, she still had all her evidence lined up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Going through the messages of Samuel's colleague, she could pinpoint almost the exact location of where she and her wife had run off to. Maya's palms itched when she thought about it for too long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She'd catch herself practicing what she would say to that woman in the shower sometimes, like she was putting on a play. She'd stick out her arm, phaselock the bar of soap and dangle it overhead, giving a grand speech before incinerating it, or melting it, or throwing against the wall repeatedly, smashing it, crushing it, there were many ways she fantasized about murdering that woman. It changed depending on what she felt like that day. The speech was always different too. She was gonna have to work on that. There was so much she had to say to that woman, it was hard coming up with just a single monologue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya hummed to herself as she drew her plan out in her notebook. She connected the dots like constellations. Benedict was dead, then Jack, Samuels had taken care of Doctor Clements herself. Plus all the countless ex-employees of the experimentation ring Maya had taken care of over the years. Samuels was the only one left. It was like coming up on the last bit of a treasure hunt, Maya could practically feel it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She would tell Krieg afterwards, and they would celebrate together. He would be truly happy. Maybe they could settle down, retire together. Put everything past them. They could have whatever cushy life Axton had, maybe move deep into the inner circles and become ballroom dancers... probably not, but it was fun to imagine. They'd probably get bored of it quickly anyhow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya drew a circle around the cutout of Samuels picture and closed her notebook, throwing her head down on her pillow and letting out a deep sigh like she was a teenager daydreaming about her high school crush. Except her diary was a hit list, and prom was the execution day. She held the notebook close to her chest and smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a knock at the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya sat up and scrambled to put everything away. "You can come in!" She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg opened the door halfway, looking around the side before walking in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I thought you wanted to go to the firing range?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head, closing the door quietly behind him. He collapsed to the floor as soon as he got into the room, putting his head in his arms and closing his eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Maya tapped his shoulder. "It's more comfortable on the bed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head again. "A fiber of my soul wouldn't fit in the coffin. I've got buckets full of sand. It's all going in my eye." He yawned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya went to roll him over. "Please?" She asked. "I'll hold you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg sat up, he was slouching more than normal. Maya grabbed his hand, pulling him up and wrapping his arms around her like a blanket. He practically radiated heat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat together on the bed, holding each other close. Krieg put his forehead on her shoulder, he exhaled. Maya ran her hands up his neck and unclasped his mask and undid his eyepatch. He brought his head back up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mhm. Skin me," Krieg mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smiled, taking his mask off and watching the eyepatch fall away from his face. "Ah, there he is." Maya giggled. She ran her thumb across his lips. "You're very handsome," she whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Krieg closed his eye as Maya caressed his cheek. She kissed him. Krieg leaned into it, putting his hands on her hips and letting Maya do the rest. They broke away slowly, pressing their foreheads together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It feels like there's insects boring into my chest. Tear away my skin, cut my head off and watch my skeleton dance, oh—" Krieg threw his head into her shoulder again. "I love you…" his voice was quiet, but heartfelt. Like he was squeezing it out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya cradled his head, kissing it and letting him put his full weight on her.  She felt him tense up for a second, before letting go again, he tensed up, then let go. This wasn't the first time he'd done this, it was pretty common, really. Krieg struggled to fall asleep most nights. Even when he was far past being tired he wouldn't let himself go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shhh…" Maya cooed. "Let it happen. You're safe," she whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg squeezed her, taking a deep breath in through his nose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya leaned back against the wall. Krieg also moved, his legs were completely on the bed now. Maya had him in a more comfortable position, his head laid gently against her breast. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rubbed his head again, petting him like he was a large bald cat, or some other cuddly animal. She comforted him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're here with me, big guy. I'm not gonna let anything hurt you. You're so good, Krieg. I love you. I would do anything for you. I want you to feel safe, I'll do everything I can," Maya whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's gone on forever… my godsend." Krieg smiled. "You shouldn't waste so much time on roadkill." He chuckled, his eye was drowsy and soft. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He reached his hand out to touch her face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, no… don't talk. Just relax. If you keep talking you're gonna work yourself up. You have that beautiful, </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful</span>
  </em>
  <span> mind and you're gonna think up so many different things, you're gonna forget you're even tired in the first place. I don't mind this. Take your time. Just rest. It's been a long day, you deserve it." Maya hushed him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded, closing his eye again and putting his hand back down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat there for a while, the room was quiet except for the air filter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya could feel his heartbeat slow down and his muscles relax. He was finally letting go. Maya smiled, holding his head to her chest. She loved him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm gonna make everything all better. Just for you," Maya whispered. "Godsend, huh. I wouldn't say that. I'm just… I'm just upset… for you. I have to. Any other person would if it was for somebody they loved. You would do the same if it was me. I know you would. You've done it before, and if something happened to me I know you'd do it again. You're </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> godsend. You're my motivator. This is gonna be for you. My big sweet psycho. Couldn't see this any other way." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg was already asleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya held him there, doting on him. She sang him a little lullaby, in the quietest voice she could muster. She kissed him softly, cradling him close. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She realized she was stuck in place a few minutes later, she didn't want to disturb him, but there was still some work she needed to get done in the navigation room. She wanted to discuss some more things with the twins before they touched down on Athenas. It could wait a little while, she supposed. Krieg was more important. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was another knock at the door. Before Maya could answer, Moxxi stepped into the room.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, excuse me, sugar. I didn't realize you two were in the middle of something," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blushed. She nudged Krieg's face closer to her chest, blocking him from Moxxi's view. She hadn't seen him without the mask before, he wouldn't want her catching a glimpse without him knowing. It was a very private thing to him. Maya respected that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shh!" Maya put her finger to her lips. "He's asleep." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moxxi nodded, putting her hands over her mouth apologetically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's up?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have the bar all set up. I wanted to bring you two down there. I have a little gift waiting for him, if you'll let me give it," Moxxi said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Gift? What kind?" Maya questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moxxi smiled. "If I told you, that would ruin the fun of it. Sorry, sugar. You'll just have to come on down and see for yourself."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanna give him time to rest. I'm not sure when the last time he let himself sleep was," Maya said. "We'll come down soon though. I'm sure this won't last too long." She sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well alright. Suit yourself. I'll be waiting." Moxxi tipped her hat and left the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were left alone again. Maya waited. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was about a half hour later when Krieg woke up again. He had awoken violently, gasping for air like he thought he was drowning, and twitching like he'd just been hit with something. He was sweating, though the room was cold. His heart was racing. Then he realized Maya was there, and he began to calm down again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Another nightmare?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"As soon as the lights went out, the snuff film marathon started playing again." Krieg groaned, rubbing his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry, big guy. Do you feel a little better now that you got some sleep though?" Maya clicked her tongue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg squirmed around a bit, arching his back and stretching his arms and legs out as far as they could go. His joints cracked and his back popped and he let out a little moan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You need a massage or something." Maya laughed.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You could break a steel beam over my neck!" Krieg groaned, turning his head to the side. He rolled off of Maya and hit the floor with a thud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You okay down there?" Maya asked, stretching her legs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My second face ran far away from here…" Krieg grumbled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I left the mask on the table." Maya said. Her legs felt like they were static, full of pins and needles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg stood up, taking the mask off the table and putting it back on, strapping his eyepatch on as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where you heading off to now, big guy?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, Moxxi came by while you were asleep. She said she had something for you down by the bar. It's probably got something to do with whatever she told you back home, I'm guessing," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg sighed. "I don't want any jaw-breakers. The roof of my mouth is still bleeding from all of my own candy!" He narrowed his eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya snorted. "I don't think it's like that, big guy. I'll go down with you. I need a drink anyways."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're giving me cavities!" Krieg giggled. His laugh was bubbly, like some strong party liquor; his pitch went up at the end like he was putting on a voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's go then!" Maya laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling herself up. Pins and needles shot up far into her legs, making her wobble a bit. She leaned on Krieg for support. He held her up, wrapping his hand around her waist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went down to the bar together, hand in hand, pressing up against each other like they were inseparable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Vault Hunters were doing shots and slamming on the table at the back of the room, Amara had challenged everybody to an arm wrestling match, the three of them plus Meat Thief were piled up together trying to push her arm down, but it wouldn't budge. A tense few seconds passed and Amara ended up slamming all of their hands down at the same time like she'd pretended to go easy on them. She smiled, nodding her head proudly as the other three hollered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya let out a sigh. "Good, they're getting along together… I thought for sure they'd start tearing each other apart as soon as we left them alone, huh Krieg?" She looked up at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When the tendons grow in, the machine will be slicker with blood, and grind the meat like a hot knife through a kidney," Krieg growled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, you're right. It'll be better to have more people with us. We're like a little family," Maya nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moxxi popped her head out from behind the bar. "Oh, good! You're finally here," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come on over, sugar. I've got something I wanna show you." She beckoned Krieg to come follow her with a wave of a finger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a part of the floor that was raised a little bit higher than the rest, you had to go up a step to get to it. The platform was hardwood and not plated metal like the rest of the ship there were lights strung up, and the sign that Moxxi had for her bar lit the whole room neon pink. There was no music playing though, and the smell of pizza, booze, and smoke hadn't stained the seats yet. It was strange. Krieg went up and stood next to Moxxi, looking back at Maya nervously from time to time. She smiled encouragingly at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now, I wanted to make it up for you for the whole thresher fiasco from last month, and I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>so bored</span>
  </em>
  <span> of just giving you the same type of gun every time you help me out with something, sugar. Normally I'd just give you some free booze or let you have a little somethin' </span>
  <em>
    <span>extra</span>
  </em>
  <span>, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if you catch my drift</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but I feel like you wouldn't take it. I can't have such a hot stud like you go unpaid for his hard work, now can I, Krieg?" Moxxi pouted, putting her hands on his chest and running her fingers in circles on his bare pecs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg looked back at Maya again for approval. She was still watching closely. Maya sat back on the barstool behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So then I figured," Moxxi went on, "You don't like booze, you have a partner, what else do you even come in here for besides helping </span>
  <em>
    <span>little ol' me</span>
  </em>
  <span> out? Then I realized. It's the piano!" Moxxi said. "That dinky old bar piano I had gotten from my second husband on our first anniversary! That thing was so old and out of tune, and crotchety, it made me sick! I forgot I even still had it until you came by, sugar." Moxxi clapped her hands together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Crumbled to ashes," Krieg said, looking down at his feet in shame.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"It was on its way out anyway, sugar. Besides, I'm </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span> you'll be much more gentle with this one!" Moxxi held out her ECHO and a beam of light shot from the sensor, digistructing in front of them a sleek, black grand piano. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya's eyes widened. She got off the stool and went over to admire it. She'd never seen one in person before. They only had the bar style pianos on Pandora, she definitely never saw one on Athenas. It was a lot bigger than she thought it would be, the keys were slick and shiny, wider than she thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I had it made special to fit your hands, sugar." Moxxi nudged Krieg's side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was speechless. Krieg made his way to the seat slowly, sitting on it like he was afraid it wasn't real and he might end up going right through to the floor. He cracked his knuckles, holding his hands above the keys ritualistically. Then he stopped, noticing how the keys actually fit his large fingers perfectly. He got this look in his eye, of pure joy and thankfulness. Maya could tell by looking at him. She put her hand on his back and sat right next to him on the chair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg looked up at Moxxi, his eye glistening like a child's on Mercenary Day after getting his first gun. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Go ahead. It's all yours," Moxxi smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Look at these virgin keys…" Krieg ran his finger lightly across the piano, not pressing down hard enough to play a sound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He got to the middle of the piano before pressing down, the tone was strong and it rang in Maya's ears like nothing she had ever heard before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg gasped, hitting the key again a few times to hear the noise again and again. He laughed. "It's perfect! The music rattles my brain like a tom-tom!" He cackled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moxxi nodded. "Oh good, I had a lot of money spent getting the tuning done. I had to go all the way to Hera! My ears were ringing for weeks!" She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg put his hands down at his sides again, staring down at the keys in awe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya touched his shoulder. "It's not gonna play itself, big guy. Go on, I wanna hear something," she whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg thought for a minute, lifting his hands up again and placing them on the piano keys. Then he began to play. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song was slow, and quiet at first, then it began to pick up speed, and get louder. It slowed down again. His fingertips looked natural, not strained or cramped like they were on the other piano. His hand moved across the keys gently, like he was painting a picture. Maya felt like she'd heard the song before, except not as clean and beautiful sounding as this. He had played it for her a few times back home. She felt like she was in a concert. She'd never heard something so elegant in her life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg paused. He took a deep breath and closed his eye. Instinctively, both of his hands played an arpeggio all the way across the piano and back, each note was repeated twice. The effect reminded Maya of something like a butterfly or another winged animal taking off. The next part of the song was much louder and more dramatic than before, and it required more movement than the first section. It was no wonder Maya hadn't heard him play it on the smaller one before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a wonder that he knew the song so well. Maya could practically see it pouring out of him like he'd awoken something that had laid dormant inside of  him for years. He looked like he was totally in sync with the universe. Maya guessed it was similar to how she felt when she meditated. It was beautiful. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hands flew across the keys again, slowing the song back down to where it was in the beginning, if not slower.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The final part of the song was much more relaxed, and light. One hand he kept a steady rhythm going, while the other played the melody. It was similar to the first part, but more sensual, Maya felt. She could see herself slow dancing to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg turned his head towards her as he played, opening his eye again and gazing at her, softly. Maya felt a wave of emotion wash over her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her chest felt tight, like something was pinning her down. She put her hands over her mouth to stop herself from making any noise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song finished. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg put his hands down at his sides again, and looked down at his feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My heart is bleeding... </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you</span>
  </em>
  <span>," he said, quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, sweetie… that was amazing!" Moxxi said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Beautiful… absolutely breathtaking. I'm in awe," Maya said. She couldn't help but feel a sense of second hand pride, knowing it was directed towards herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Vault Hunters had noticed what was going on and had been staring for a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane stood up and began to applaud, but he stopped when he noticed nobody else doing it. He cleared his throat and ran over to the piano, sitting himself down on the other side of Krieg and nearly pushing Maya off the edge. He wrapped his arm around Krieg's neck. His face was bright red. He was drunk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I haven't heard that one since I'd been to the inner circles, boyo! How'd a nut like you end up learnin' to play like that, heh? I can play a bit meself, if ye can believe it. Let's do a duet. Do ya know any drinkin' songs?" Zane smiled, his whole body swayed as he talked. He rocked Krieg along with him. They looked like they were on a boat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know that song, Zane?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, sure I do! That song's older than time itself! A fancy lovers' serenade from a planet that went 'n blew itself up some four-'tausand years ago. Cannae remember the name for the life a' me." Zane shrugged. "Used to hear it all the time when I was doing corporate hits. One brat I worked with was quite a prodigy on the piana'. Poor kid died a while back, haven't heard it since," Zane said. "Yer an interestin' fella, Krieg. I like yeh." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded. He let Zane ramble on for a bit longer, telling another one of his stories from back when his hair wasn't so grey or when his facial hair wasn't so thick. He talked a lot for a guy wanting to be so mysterious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, Krieg began to play another song.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This one was faster, louder, a lot more catchy sounding then the other one. It was a song he could've easily played on the other piano. It was exactly what Zane was looking for, the perfect drinking song.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane smiled really wide, playing along with Krieg on the other side of the piano, singing along as loud as he could. Soon the other three had joined in, bellowing a drunken chorus. Krieg couldn't help but laugh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the chants of "</span>
  <em>
    <span>you can wear an Easter lily</span>
  </em>
  <span>" and the loud piano music and Krieg's ad-libbed lyrics that were too graphic to detail, Moxxi had gotten Maya a drink. She had a nice rum and soda, and was enjoying herself. It was the most fun she'd had in a long time.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hours later, after everybody had gone to sleep, Krieg and Maya were still awake. Krieg continued tapping on the piano for hours, playing whatever tune came to his mind. Maya was leaning against him, trying to keep her eyes open. The bar was closed, Moxxi let them stay a while as long as they didn't get into the booze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya could hear a wheel rolling down the hallway, before Claptrap's big eyeball light shone at them from around the corner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Minions!" He said, waving his little arms in her hair. "We have arrived at Athenas! Or were in the general location of Athenas! We're right on the cusp of the atmosphere of Athenas! If you jumped out of the spaceship now, you'd burn up in a crisp before you hit the ground! But the cool thing is, you'd actually hit the ground! That's how close we are!" Claptrap spun around in a circle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rubbed her eyes. "Yeah? That sucks. I was in such a good mood too." Maya yawned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg stopped playing, putting his hand on her waist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you feel weak, lean against me. I'll carry you. It won't be that bad," he strained. "And if it gets too hard, put your head down. I'll protect you. The glass shards won't cut you… the clock's hands won't grab at you again... I'll help you feel safe, Maya. I promise you."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Happy birthday!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"The rest of the crew is asleep right now, minus the robotic ones of course. It's been a long day; we'll touch down in a few hours when the continent is in the daylight zone. Sorry guys, you should get some rest. You newbies are in for a hell of a ride." Maya crossed her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The DeLeon twins were standing across from her and Krieg in the navigation room, overlooking the horizon of Athenas. Fl4k sat patiently below deck, unable to sleep for obvious reasons. They watched as different space-crafts battled. It was hard to tell the difference between the Maliwan jets and the Atlas-Hyperion ones. They were both there though, and judging by the amount of ships there were, there were a lot of them. Up there and on land.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins wanted to go immediately. Maya said no.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But look at all the ships surrounding the place! They might find the piece before we do!" Troy whined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I doubt it. We'll get torn up down there if we're not prepared anyways. Plus, you two can't go down there without makeup and neither can I," Maya said firmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How come?" Tyreen questioned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're sirens. You guys may not know this, but I grew up here. They're not... they're not exactly the most welcoming people. If they see our tattoos, this whole mission could be a bust," Maya said. "Trust me. Bad idea."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We know about the cult," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll just kill 'em all then. That's what you guys usually do right?" Troy suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "What do you mean?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, like how Lilith and them took out Atlas all by themselves! Or how Helios </span>
  <em>
    <span>magically</span>
  </em>
  <span> just falls down killing millions of people right before the Vault of the Traveler was opened, or the first annual Torgue Badass Campaign, or like you and Hyperion," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Troy nodded. "Yeah, you're the pros," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "It's not always like that," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah it is. You know your day is fucked when you see a Crimson Raiders logo walk past. That's why we came to you guys instead of like, Atlas-Hyperion or Dahl." Tyreen rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that. What's your reason for wanting to open the Vaults anyway? You guys are young. You know there's a good chance you might die doing this, right?" Maya tilted her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's a lot of reasons." Tyreen shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ty's been getting visions of a dead siren telling her to open the vaults!" Troy pointed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shut up, you asshole!" Tyreen punched him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's like the third time I've heard that today," Maya said. "You said a siren? Like a ghost?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Her name was Nyriad," Tyreen said. "She was a phaseleech, just like me. She died locking up the destroyer." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya froze. "I've heard that name before."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seems familiar, right? Amara said the same thing when I met her." Tyreen turned away. "I started hearing her voice as soon as mom died. Troy and I were still kids then, right around the time you guys opened the Vault of the Warrior. She told me to come finish what she started. I couldn't do it then. When I told dad about it…" She gripped her fist tightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He didn't want us leaving. He grew up on Pandora, and he didn't want us to see it. Said we weren't cut out for it. Probably just trying to protect us," Troy explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span>! But what does he know? He's </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead</span>
  </em>
  <span> now, Troy. Dad's dead! That's why we're even here right now. Don't try guilt tripping me on that. He would've never let us see these books otherwise. You know that! I had to." Tyreen snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You </span>
  <em>
    <span>killed </span>
  </em>
  <span>Typhon DeLeon?" Maya's eyes widened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, that's a good way to put it." Troy smiled, nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe take it as a sign to not underestimate us," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll respect you guys if you respect me, simple as that. We're not going down there until everybody's gotten some sleep, including you. I don't care how smart or tough you guys think you are, or how messed up your family relations are or whatever it is, you listen to </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>on this mission. If you have a problem with that, you can go back to Sanctuary and help Lilith with the groundwork while the rest of us go open the vault. Got it?" Maya put her hands on her hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tyreen narrowed her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You need us to get to that vault," Troy said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you need </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span> to make sure you don't get shot on the way to it." Maya raised her voice a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wanna bet?" Troy stood up suddenly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg jolted to attention, almost throwing himself at the twins, only stopping when he realised Maya had her hand across his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You two, listen to the captain. You're two against an army. I'd have no problem skinning traitors. You might make a nice carpet," Fl4k chimed in from below, obviously tuning in on the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Troy, sit down." Tyreen glared at him. She sighed. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I really, really. </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> need to open these Vaults. I can feel it. It's my destiny. Troy doesn't understand. He doesn't hear her," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just… just calm down a bit. These things take time. It'll all be worth it in the end. Trust me." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes ma'am." Troy and Tyreen both said at the same time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just go get some sleep," Maya repeated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins left the room. Maya could hear Tyreen scolding Troy on the way back to their room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They'll get over it. We're on the same page. I'm guessing they haven't had to take orders seriously from somebody before." Maya said aloud. She looked up at the giant hologram of Athenas in the center of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mosquito bites can kill!" Krieg said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They hesitated. Don't worry about them, big guy. They're good kids, I can tell. They're on edge, that's all." Maya sighed. "They're probably still getting over whatever happened with their father. I know what it feels like. Something about being a siren makes everybody you grow up with wanna control you. It's happened in some way to all of us, I guess. I dunno what exactly was going on with them, but I have a good feeling I've got the right idea. Poor kids." She shook her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You broke your chain just as good. They carved the links into your skin." Krieg rubbed his chin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"See? I swear it's gotta be like a curse or something." Maya chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's not funny…" Krieg grumbled. "You deserve much more than a crown of thorns and a cattle prod." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know. That's why I left in the first place. Now we're waltzing right back. Maybe I'll get grounded or something, or whipped. Or beaten. Killed seems more likely, since I kinda, uh, caused mass hysteria and murdered my teacher… but probably not, right? I'll be concealed pretty well." Maya laughed nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg turned his head to the side to look at her better. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt dizzy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh god." Maya ran her fingers through her bangs. "I think I'm gonna be sick." </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>After Maya was done puking they went back to the room. She fell onto the bed immediately and put her hands over her eyes. Krieg turned the light off and sat next to her, rubbing her leg as she cried. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mouth tasted like vomit and her throat burned and her ribs hurt, but he was right there, nodding along to her cries like he understood everything. His hands were gentle and comforting. Maya brought herself closer to him, burying her face in his lap. He ran his fingers through her hair, undoing her bun and setting it back along her neck gently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't say anything. He just let her get it out. She needed to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya woke up hours later to the sound of the ship's spacial alarm going off. There was a ship coming too close to them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shit!" Maya sat up. Krieg had been laying next to her, eye half shut, and deep in his thoughts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How long was that?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Long enough to mummify a venomous snake," Krieg sighed. He counted on his fingers. "Six."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Six? I was only planning on having it be three. Did you stay up that entire time?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg sat up slowly. He shrugged. That meant no.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry. That's my fault. I fell asleep before you…" Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No! Your soul needed a break. The wick burned away and the wax turned black like death's infected scab! You can't cut your fingers on an unbroken mirror." Krieg shook his head, putting his hand up to Maya's mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We gotta go," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya pulled her hair back out of her face. She put on a long black coat to cover her tattoos. Then she put on her boots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They ran down to the navigation wing to see what the alarm was about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maliwan ships had cornered them, and signal after signal was being sent for identification. Nobody had been there to respond. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I thought Claptrap was in charge of Nav when we were asleep," Moze said, scratching her head. Her hair was a mess and her shirt was dirty. She'd puked on herself earlier and tried to clean it up in a drunken haze. It was the only clothes she had. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I did too." Maya frowned, glancing over at the little robot behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Confrontation makes me extremely anxious!" Claptrap retracted his wheel and tucked his arms in like he was hiding himself in a little box.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tell them we're just here to trade." Maya ordered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the other Crimson Raiders at the computer began to type. They hit send and everybody waited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We've got permission to drop, ma'am," The officer said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The alarm stopped ringing as the ships began to back off. Everybody let out a sigh of relief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "Keep on the line with them, we gotta go get ready," she said, eyeing the vault hunters. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all seemed to be a bit hungover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Amara, come with me. I gotta show you how to cover your markings up." Maya waved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes ma'am," Amara said, pushing past everybody.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The rest of you… go splash water on your face or something. Hit the firing range. We leave as soon as we're ready. Krieg, take them down there, will you?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg laughed. "It's time for the lead rainstorm!" He cackled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Knew I could count on you." Maya smiled. "Also, if you see the twins, tell them to meet us in the showers. I gotta do their makeup." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded and left with Moze, Zane and Fl4k. And Fl4k’s animals, of course.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, why do we have to cover up our markings exactly?" Amara asked as soon as they got to the showers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just an extra precaution to not draw attention to ourselves. There used to be a cult that ran things down there and the capital used to be right where the vault key piece is. If they saw us sirens, we'd be there much longer than needed." Maya sighed. She searched through her makeup bag. "I don't have the right shade of concealer…" she mumbled to herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara looked at herself in the mirror, washing her face and brushing her hands through her hair as Maya looked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins had entered the room behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You two weren't at the meeting earlier. We could've been starscrap." Amara slipped a bobby pin between her teeth as she pulled her hair back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We were asleep." Troy yawned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You wanted to see us Captain?" Tyreen asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah!" Maya looked up. "Makeup time. I hope you guys have some long sleeved stuff. Troy, can you fit that prosthetic into that hoodie you had on earlier?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Troy shrugged. "I don't see why we can't just go in there guns blazing," he said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya gritted her teeth for a second. "I told you why," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll wear a coat." Troy groaned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've still got my hoodie," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good. Now I really dunno what to do about your facial markings… you two have a lot there," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe we can make it look like eyeshadow," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've got blue. I dunno about yours though, Troy," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've got my own," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shrugged. "Fair enough."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya washed her face and put on her concealer, rubbing it over her cheek until the little specks of blue looked like nothing more than freckles. She put on her lipstick and did her eyeliner. She used a darker shade of everything today; her lipstick was black and her eyeshadow was smokey looking. Her blush was light and her contour was sharp. The contrast made her skin seem like ivory. She pulled her hair back into a bun and looked at herself in the mirror, buttoning up her coat and slipping her hands into her pockets. She didn't look like a siren anymore, but she still looked like she kicked serious ass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have a lot of my own concealer. I need a little help getting it on everything," Amara said. Her face was pretty much done. She had moved onto her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You want me to help with your back?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If it's not too much of a problem. I don't have a coat or anything. It's hot on Partali." Amara laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I gotcha." Maya smiled. She took the concealer and began to rub it in with Amara's blender. She had a lot of markings going up and down her back all the way from her neck to her lower back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know, every siren's markings represent what kind of powers they have," Maya said. "Every one of us has different patterns, and they all mean different things." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, no shit." Tyreen huffed, doing her own makeup. "Where'd you learn that, preschool?" She smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya glared. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't know that," Amara said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not many of us know so much about ourselves, so it's important to learn," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess. But did </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> know that there was once millions of us? The six of us that are still around are the strongest to survive the test of time," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How do you know that?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It was in my mother's journal. She knew everything about sirens," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rolled her eyes. "That doesn't make it true. I've never met your mother. How can I be sure neither of you are just making things up? You should study from more than one source." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You should trust us more, Captain." Tyreen locked eyes with Maya. Her makeup was strikingly beautiful, painted like one of the performers Maya had seen dance at her birthday festival many years ago. It frightened her a bit. She seemed like she'd done it before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What day is it today?" Maya asked. She felt uneasy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Didn't you see the fireworks going off earlier? It's the third day of the Storm Festival," Troy said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya's stomach fell. "Is it?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, we read that they do operas on the third day. We're gonna try passing as performers." Tyreen smiled. "The phaseleech siren does have a pretty big part in the story, right? I want the masses to get a glimpse of the real deal." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah." Maya mumbled, moving her attention back to Amara's makeup.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A festival? That sounds like a good distraction for mayhem! We should be able to be as loud as we want and nobody would bat an eye!" Amara nodded. "Good thing too, I can't stand laying low."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's the third day?" Maya repeated quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, why?" Troy asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No reason. I'm officially thirty four now," she murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh." Amara raised her eyebrows. "Happy birthday."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Maya said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was quiet as they finished each other's makeup.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>After they had finished, Maya had gone down to the firing range to see how everybody else was doing. They had cutouts of Handsome Jack pinned up everywhere and were using him as target practice. It was kind of funny to watch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg undid his shotgun from his belt and aimed down sights, blowing the cutout's head off and sending plywood flying everywhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nice one," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg looked behind him at Maya, taking in her new look. His pupil dilated a bit, relaxing from looking too far ahead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My midnight sunbeam," he said tenderly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smiled. "You like it? It's not too much?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The most radiant shadow! If my heart grew teeth, you would be the pearl stuck to the roof of its mouth." Krieg nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah-ha! So the sirens are finally ready? Can we get goin' now then? I'd like to snag meself a bit of that </span>
  <em>
    <span>pink ice</span>
  </em>
  <span> while we're local. Haven't had that stuff in ages!" Zane peered around Krieg's wide shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That stuff’s not good for you," Maya commented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure." Zane snickered. "When yeh get to be where I am now, yeh start t' stop carin' so much about what's good 'feryeh. I'm just doin' it for the crack now." He shot his revolver and the bullet went through the center of the cutout's forehead. It ricocheted around the room a few times, making a striking '</span>
  <em>
    <span>ping-ping-ping</span>
  </em>
  <span>' noise when it collided with the metal walls.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anyhoo! I'm bored as all hell now. I wanna play wit' me toys. Let's get a move on!" He spun his revolver around with one finger and slinged it back into its holster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The drop pods are being set up right now. They didn't have Fast Travel yet, the last time I was here. If they have stations now I wouldn't know the code. Drop pods are our next best thing. Everybody has the S3 code, right?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Affirmative." Moze nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've got mine," Fl4k chimed in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane nodded with them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I told Amara and the twins earlier. We should be good to go." Maya nodded to herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maliwan ships are everywhere. What's our plan for getting the vault key piece?" Fl4k asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>"We're gonna go in telling them we're there to trade. Hopefully it's not crowded. We can get to the Academic District and the twins are gonna locate the piece. Maliwan or Atlas absolutely </span><em><span>cannot</span></em> <em><span>know </span></em><span>what we're doing. We've kept everybody away from Pandora for 7 years now. We don't want them coming back," Maya said.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So that's why yer all dolled up then? So nobody can tell yer a siren? Well shite, we should put a cloak over this one, then! He's got his whole bosom showin' bald like he wants to be oiled up and put on the cover of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Psychos Gone Mad</span>
  </em>
  <span>! No offense Krieg, a'course." Zane patted Krieg's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It gets pretty windy down there." Maya thought for a second.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've burned through it all." Krieg shook his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn't usually bothered by temperature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked up at him. "I know. We do wanna keep a low profile though. I have a jacket for you. You don't have to zip it up all the way." Maya suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll keep my face-cage on! Copeland can't handle the beast's maw!" Krieg tensed up a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nobody said you had to take it off. Don't worry." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Zane folded his hands behind his back and shifted uncomfortably. "So uh, where's Amara and the twins then?" He cleared his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're probably getting their stuff together. Why, did you wanna talk to them?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, no." Zane sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somebody was coming down the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We've got the coordinates set on the drop pods!" Amara shouted, sliding down the last few steps with the back of her heel. "As long as Moxxi says they're ready for use we should be good to go." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How much makeup did you have to use covering up those tattoos, huh?" Moze said, raising her eyebrows. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara chuckled. "I'll make you buy me a new bottle of concealer. Call it pay for losing so hard last night." She winked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Bullshit." Moze coughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Amara, did you see the twins up there anywhere? They're awfully </span>
  <em>
    <span>absent</span>
  </em>
  <span> for a pair that wants to get going so bad." Maya gritted her teeth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara nodded. "They were sitting in Nav doing one of those ECHO feed streams. They're pretty popular for just having access to the web for what? A few weeks? I wonder why," Amara said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're not supposed to be recording up there," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They've been on and off with that since we boarded. Can't believe you haven't noticed," Moze replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, the ratty one damn near walked in on me showerin' earlier. Luckily my arse is as photogenic as my face! Hah!" Zane laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"God damn these kids." Maya frowned. "This could totally give us away! What if some Maliwan goon finds out about their live streams? Their whole fan base is probably only there because of the fact they're sirens." She rubbed her head. "I swear…" She said out loud. She stopped herself midway. They better not get in the way of her and Samuels. She was gonna have to fix this, fast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Heyo, vault-rades! That's vault hunters and comrades rolled up into one word, if you didn't know," Troy called from upstairs. He and Tyreen came waltzing down the stairs, Troy holding a camera up with his prosthetic arm and putting on a voice for the act. "We're out here with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>DeLeoners. </span>
  </em>
  <span>See, that's a cool name, I just came up with that. Say hi everybody! Say hi to Captain Maya, and Krieg, and this old guy, and-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Turn the camera off," Maya ordered, cutting him off and tipping the lens towards the floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Geez, easy with the merchandise, this thing was expensive!" Troy whined. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Off," Maya repeated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins locked eyes with each other and sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine." They both groaned in unison, rolling their eyes and turning off the camera. Tyreen bit the inside of her cheek as she pulled up her ECHO feed, ending the live stream officially.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's the deal, you guys just hate fun or something?" Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not fun if you're causing privacy concerns. We're in an active war zone right now!" Maya retorted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're not filming anything confidential," Troy said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's all confidential! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> is confidential right now! Us being us is confidential right now!" Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine, we won't go live until we get to Promethea. Then, though, that's gonna be the big deal. I wanna get a sound effect for superchats. Probably something badass like a gunshot or something," Tyreen said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You get paid?" Moze asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Duh." Troy blinked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How'd you think we got to Pandora anyways? We came from, like, way far away," Tyreen said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The people love us." Troy nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Like putty in our hands." Tyreen agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's kind of unhealthy, really. I bet it would be super easy to control these guys, they'd probably die by the wagon load if we told 'em to. That would be wild." Troy speculated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, like a cult." Tyreen nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, exactly! Super exploitive and, like, attention centered and, like… uh, what's the word?" Troy said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Brainwashed?" Fl4k suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's the one!" Troy snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Anyways, yeah. Fans are total lunatics. We just stream 'cus it's fun and we needed the money. We can stop if it's really an issue though," Tyreen said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya let out a sigh. "Yeah, could you? That would be great." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins both nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, no problem," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She eyed Troy and he set the camera down under the computer set up at the firing range. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you." Maya sighed. "Let's go check out those drop pods."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went down to the loading bay, minding Crazy Earl, and sifting through any usable gear they may not have unpacked yet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moxxi was down there, fixing up the drop pods before launch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The eight of them waited patiently for her to finish. There was supposed to be four to a drop pod. Maya, Krieg and the twins would go in one, while the vault hunters would sit in the other. It was only a matter of time now. Everybody was ready to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think we should be ready now," Moxxi finally said, wiping her forehead. "Go on ahead, don't be shy. The seats are real comfortable." She gestured. "I'll give you a countdown from ten if you're nervous." She gave a wink. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everybody had boarded their drop pods and strapped themselves in. Maya took a deep breath and waited for the signal. The twins looked nonchalant. Krieg looked… frightened. It seemed like he'd never done something like this before. At least not that he remembered. Maya held his hand, feeling how warm his fingers were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, Moxxi began to count, "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a click and then the drop pod began to blast off, shaking violently for the first few seconds before the airdrift caught them. They were falling towards ground now, and Maya's only hope was that they landed in the right place.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Lamb of God, Who Takes Away the Sins of the World</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The drop pod slammed into the ground violently, sending a shock through everybody's whole skeleton. Krieg made a noise, shaking his head and laughing a bit, dazed. Maya let out a breath, unbuckling herself and dusting off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everybody alright?" She asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A-okay, captain!" Troy smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya moved to get up, unlocking the door and pushing it open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The nostalgic smell of saltwater and raw cranberries filled Mayas nose; it was strong, sweet, and cold. The sunrise was pink against the clouds. Looking out on the horizon, the cliffs stood up like sticks in sand, and small glowing houses dappled the mountain sides. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya wiped her face. She could hear the sound of windchimes humming and birds calling out. If she closed her eyes, she could hear the porpoises singing down below. There was another noise that came then, a bell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The clang of the bell lingered in the pit of Maya's throat. The sound echoed off of every building, rattling Maya's soul down to the core. It sounded 6 times. Every single chime reverberated louder and louder, making Maya's teeth chatter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked around, almost in disbelief that she was really back after so long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They've got </span>
  <em>
    <span>trees </span>
  </em>
  <span>here?" Moze popped her head out from the other drop pod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Small trees," Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A tree's a tree. These bitches have wood." Moze stared off at a group of birds nesting in the branches of a very snake-y looking tree. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg stepped out of the drop pod, slowly putting on his jacket and zipping it up halfway so that his chest was still exposed. He was silent, and he moved so slowly, taking everything in.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Have you ever been off-world before, big guy?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg turned around a few times. He didn't answer. He didn't know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Lot more air traffic than I remember," Maya sighed. "Follow me, I know how to get to the Academic District." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all went behind her. They moved in a pod. Maya was the head and Krieg was the tail, like ducklings all in a line. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stopped at a large stone gate. Maya had a stern look on her face, looking up at the ships running across the sky. They were flying low, the humming noise thrummed in her ears. Maliwan tents and non-permanent buildings littered the area. Flags were raised above the monastery where the old wind catchers used to be. The big green '</span>
  <em>
    <span>M'</span>
  </em>
  <span> dappled on the sides of the old buildings let them know who ran the place now. Maya wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Freeze!" Someone shouted from above.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This area's off limits today! The Maliwan Corporation is under strict orders to govern all Athenas civilians! Tourism during the Storm Festival is prohibited." One of the officers pointed a large gun towards Maya's forehead. She heard everybody arm themselves behind her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guard pulled the trigger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're not tourists," Maya said calmly before the officer's gun could wind itself up. "We spoke to your superior earlier; Captain Traunt, I think his name was? We're here doing business with the Order." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guard lowered his gun. "You're from that Crimson Raider ship aren't you? What do you guys want with the Order anyway?" He asked. His voice sounded distorted through his helmet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They've got the best market for </span>
  <em>
    <span>seriph's ash</span>
  </em>
  <span> right now don't they? I'm sure you've heard of the health benefits," Maya said, condescendingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maliwan's already claimed all of the radioactive material this side of the continent! Plus, knowing you Pandorans, you'd probably get addicted anyways. Piss off before I open fire." The guard raised his gun again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you fire at us you commit treason and are eligible for termination under the Maliwan corporation. That's your CEO's rules, not mine," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guard lowered his gun again, letting out a deep sigh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Raise the gate, they're okay to pass." He waved them in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smirked, looking back at everybody for a second just to see their faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We won't be here long," she assured their escort. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guard led them down to the clergy tower. He stopped at the door. "I got no time for this shit. Go in there and deal with the wackos. If I see you pokin' your noses in places they're not supposed to be, I'm caving your faces in," he groaned. "I'll take my time with you, big boy." He laughed, tugging on Krieg's coat. "See ya." The guard walked away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as they knew they were out of sight, they moved away from the tower. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What now, boss?" Tyreen asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll get lost in the crowd. They've got masks for sale," Maya whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, easy." Zane snickered, pressing a button on his neck. His helmet digistructed onto his head, hiding his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"In that case." Fl4k beeped. There was a click, and they vanished from view. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "Well that's... nifty," She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've found it quite useful," Fl4k said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright. Follow me," Maya directed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went to a stand across the street and picked up a few masks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara had one that looked like a tiger, obviously. It was like her gimmick. Moze's looked similar to Amara's, except instead of purple with green stripes hers was black with red stripes. Maya took a white and grey cat mask. It went with her outfit the best. The twins took masks that looked like demons, or some other creature. It had fangs and big yellow eyes. One was white and the other was red.  The rest of them didn't take a mask, Krieg was gonna stick out like a sore thumb either way, he wasn't gonna bother. Poor thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They saw a group of soldiers walking by and darted behind a building. When the marching stopped, they snuck back out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maliwan had patrols going on all around town. They seemed in cahoots with the locals, acting like a police force of some kind. Maya had a feeling she knew why they were sucking up to the Order so bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they went through town they could hear music playing, people danced in the street and laughed and sang loudly. Everybody seemed to be having a good time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except for Maya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The forecast calls for rain later today, didn't you hear? Bless us! Today is a great day! We will be saved from her wrath!" Somebody shouted as they walked past. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya stuck her hand out in acknowledgment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Maya," Amara tapped on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah?" Maya looked back quickly, uneasy that she said her name so loudly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who's 'she' exactly?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I'm not too sure, I think it's me," Maya whispered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh." Amara nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They see you as a goddess. Cool." Tyreen sighed. "Man, what I would do to have tons of people treat me like that," she laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You wouldn't like it," Maya scolded. "Years of abuse does things to a person." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wouldn't let them abuse me," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You wouldn't realize until years later," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tyreen didn't answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The area became more and more crowded as they went further along. Maya had no idea if Fl4k was even following them anymore, she hoped they were. The music was louder now and on top of that fireworks had started going off again. They had to set them off now that the news came in of the rainstorm coming that evening. The color of the sky reflected the prediction, becoming more yellow and pink as the day progressed, the air was chilled and the wind became violent, flipping the flags in all different directions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The beating drum and the howling wind made Maya feel like she was reliving one of her old nightmares. Nobody seemed as stressed out about this as her. People danced around her in circles as hopelessly joyous as they were years before. Nothing had really changed, no matter how much she wanted them to. It was sickening. She wanted to scream out. She wanted to tell them all to stop and go away, start another life somewhere else and forget about all this nonsense. But she couldn't. She had a job to do. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a sudden loud buzz coming from above as a shadow passed along the crowd. Maya looked up to see a group of large black and red jets with the logo of a yellow and red hexagon on both wings passing at dangerously low altitude. The sides of the jets read '</span>
  <em>
    <span>ATLAS⬢⬡HYPERION' </span>
  </em>
  <span>in clean white letters. A woman screamed. The crowd scattered and Maya was left standing alone on the stone paved road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a blast of green light from the town walls that made Maya fall to her knees. She covered her ears and closed her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the echo stopped she looked up, the jets were smoking and plummitting down towards the sea in a spiral. They hit the water with a faint splash. The townsfolk instantly began to return to the streets, cheering and happy once again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A voice rang out from across the town, using the P.A. speakers that had been there since Maya was a baby. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All clear," the speaker announced. "Do not panic, we're all clear," they said. There was a beep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shuddered. Her breathing was rugged. She felt like she was paralyzed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a hand on her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stand up. If your legs are broken, I'll carry you." Krieg was bent down next to her, rubbing her shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where'd everybody else go?" Maya twitched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The honeybees got lost tangled in with the sea of hornets. Everybody gets scared when the bug catcher comes," Krieg mumbled. "They'll come back to the hive if they get stung."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh no," Maya said quietly. She stood up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were so many people around now, she couldn't see where the rest of them were. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh no," She repeated again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Our watches have been shattered. Unless the oven dings, old man time's taking a vacation! Slow cooked relief tastes sweeter," Krieg said. He pulled Maya close to him, spinning her around, mimicking what some other couples were doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shook her head. "No, no, this isn't good. We've got a job to do, we can't just party. You don't even know what they're celebrating! Let's get out of here. Maybe they'll meet us up along the way. They should have maps. The twins do." Maya pushed herself away from him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded, disappointed but understanding. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya grabbed his hand and pulled him through the crowd.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg made a noise, Maya hadn't noticed until they got to a place that was less crowded, a bridge overlooking a river and a small waterfall. Lily pads glided slowly across the surface of the water and there were little green and pink fish swimming around waiting for food to be dropped by anybody walking by.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And she acts like I can't see!" Krieg grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Maya stopped. "What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pretty lady's surprise party." He said. "You've grown into a </span>
  <em>
    <span>feast</span>
  </em>
  <span> of a woman." His voice was gruff and harsh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The mask hid Maya's blush.  "It's not just that," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Open mouths and clouded eyes, they wait for my goddess, their prophet to return. They think she's been taken up, ascended into the heavens. They're hungry, Maya. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sooooooooooo hungry</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They'll eat you up. Spellbound imps prancing around an open bonfire. Who stands in the middle? An empty throne waiting for the matriarch to sit upon it! The castle is empty, but the guards are dutiful. The masses' minds have rotted away with their chattering teeth, they're deaf to your words yet act like they love you the way… </span>
  <em>
    <span>I do</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I smell FALLACY!" Krieg turned his head to the side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "You must know what I'm feeling then," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A trapped animal seeing the pound again after finally breaking free," Krieg stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded again. "Exactly." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry." Krieg got quiet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't be. It was gonna resurface sooner or later. I knew." Maya sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg got that look in his eye again, like he was a lost dog or something. It made Maya feel weird; she didn't know exactly what he was thinking, and when she speculated about it, she felt guilty. He couldn't be feeling pity for her… right? That's never happened before. Something must've been wrong. But she didn't know for sure. She wasn't expecting an explanation either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're right. Maybe I do need to loosen up a little bit. We're not on a time constraint. Sophis is dead, right? Both him and his brother. I should be totally fine. Nobody even knows I'm here." Maya let out a deep breath, leaning back on the bridge railing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then it struck her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You knew my birthday was coming up, didn't you? That's why you were so excited to come here," Maya said, softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The meat's gone sour and the petals wilted," Krieg said, looking down at his feet. "You bit your nails down to the nubs, your room smelled like smoke. A little birdy told me you learned to love here. I wanted to see your teeth again." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya took off her mask and tied it behind her head, letting it rest above her face. Her eyes widened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry I got your hopes up, big guy. I really… I really didn't know that you thought–" she looked off into the distance. "I'm okay, Krieg. Honestly. I know I've been out a lot recently, but it's not 'cause I was stressed or homesick, or depressed or anything. But, I promise, as soon as we're back home, </span>
  <em>
    <span>real home, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you're gonna see so much more of me, I bet you'll be begging for alone time by the next day!" She laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't let my tongue push you next to sawblades!" Krieg tensed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, really! I've actually been needing to go to Promethea. I just needed an excuse to," Maya insisted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is it your divine witch's novella?" Krieg asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya grimaced. "No. I'm… well," she thought. She wasn't gonna tell him yet, she swore she wouldn't. But he deserved to know something now, after getting so worried about her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've been working on a little… surprise I've had, saved up for you. The only place that has the last piece of it is Promethea. That's why I want to get there." Maya smiled, hoping he wouldn't notice the guilt practically dripping off of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg giggled. "A mercenary day miracle!" He cackled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya exhaled with relief. "Yeah, I guess you have been getting a lot of presents recently, huh?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've been a good boy," Krieg laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya snorted. "You sure have."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg grabbed her head, hugging her into his chest for a second as they laughed together. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya felt a little more relaxed now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You said you wanted to see where I grew up?" Maya nudged him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That big building over there. That's the one." She pointed off into the distance. Above Stormhaven Square was a tall pointed structure that glistened in the sunlight. There were engravings going up the sides of the building resembling Maya’s tattoos. At the very top, Maliwan flags were being flown instead of what was ever there before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That used to be where the queen would live. When the Order took over they had me live there instead. They didn't want me going outside too often to 'uphold my status' or whatever. It was nonsense, really, they built me up to be this almighty being not to be seen by human eyes or something. Like I had to be pleased or I would lash out and destroy everything," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The palace of the beloved," Krieg gawked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I snuck out anyway." Maya snickered. "They had </span>
  <em>
    <span>nooooo</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea." She smiled. "I have hideouts all around this plateau. I wonder how many are still there after so long." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked down at all the fish gathering up beneath them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wanna come look with me? Could be fun. It's on the way," she suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg's eye lit up when she said that, like he'd been waiting all day for it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya led him down a path and through another gate, this one more old and dilapidated, covered in moss and the engravings worn down, into a cemetery.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This place hasn't been touched since before I was born. They used to tell me it was haunted. That's why I thought it was a perfect place to go at night. I had a Ouija board, cards and stuff." Maya stepped over a large stone on the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did they scream for you?" Krieg deepened his voice on purpose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya laughed. "No, not directly anyways." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg huffed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Here, here!" Maya ran across the overgrown grass, up to a large tomb. "This is it, this is the place!" She ran her hands along the corroded stone, running her fingers in the engravings that read: </span>
  <em>
    <span>"SHE RESTS UNTIL ANOTHER TAKES HER PLACE. WATCH OVER US, HER HOLY MAJESTY. EMPRESS DIDO</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <em>
    <span>"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Laying death's cradle, or hanging above it? The anticipation eats away at the soles of my feet!" Krieg rubbed his hands together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Watch this." Maya looked back at him, raising her left hand and placing it on the tomb. The engravings on the tomb began to glow a grand blue color, starting at the palm of Maya's hand and spreading across the stone until it overtook the entire tomb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tomb began to slide open, letting out a puff of cold, dry gas. The gas was there to keep the bodies preserved, bodies plural, because the bodies of the entire royal family were buried there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, that smell takes me back." Maya took in a deep breath. "Look! My old books!" Maya moved to the back of the tomb, climbing over Dido's sealed coffin and reaching deep into a shelf full of bottles and candles. Ratch nesting was caked onto the sides of the room and the mummified corpses of dead ratch was littered across the floor, having suffocated after being sealed in years and years ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya pulled out a tray of collected items, a crystal ball, a deck of cards, an Ouija board, and a stack of leather bound books.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I'm definitely taking these back with me. This stuff was my life!" She giggled, setting them next to her on the coffin and scanning them with her ECHO to be digistructed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My skin needs to be scrubbed clean and my blemishes rubbed out before I join family dinner." Krieg stood outside the tomb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come on in, they're all dead anyway!" Maya gestured. "I'm probably not related. She had two daughters, both died without getting married." Maya pointed at two smaller coffins at opposite sides of the room. "Somebody told me a story about them once. Apparently, the only thing in those coffins are the girls heads." Maya raised her eyebrows. "The rest of their bodies are scattered across the mountainside in boxes. Apparently Dido had put a spell on her daughters before she died, and when the Order found out, they killed the girls and cut them up into bits!" Maya waved her fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Bite sized artery stoppers for the theocrat's demise," Krieg chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right!" Maya laughed. "I wrote about it in one of my journals, look here." Maya reached over to her tray of belongings and froze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait a second…" she blinked. "This one isn't mine." She took the top book off of the stack, blowing dust off of the cover and flipping it around. The book was covered in excellently carved engravings written in an old forgotten language, the spine was slightly damaged, metal hoops held together ripped leather and the golden paint the rings were covered in was beginning to come off. There was a light purple stone embedded in the center of the front cover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nightmare crystal." Krieg clicked his tongue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I dunno. It doesn't look like eridium." Maya put the stone up to her lips. She stuck her tongue out for a moment and pulled the book away. "It's not, it's not," she coughed and shook her head. "That's Athenian Salt. A big block of it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg blinked in confusion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why would they put a big old block of narcotic stone on a book?" Maya verbalized what Krieg was thinking. She opened the book.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is weird," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg got curious, moving closer to her. He was still hesitant to sit on Dido's coffin, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Some of this is written in Eridian. Some of it is old Athenian. There's print, but also handwriting." She pointed to a large wall of text.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The spiders are running around too fast! Their inky spit hurts my brain!" Krieg grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a diary… I think. Somebody is talking in first person. The Eridian text though seems like a handbook of some kind… for a mechanism. A door maybe." Maya rubbed her chin, flipping on more and more until she came to a folded page. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>'I hid the piece he gave me in the library… through the door… the lock with the six keys only opens to one…'</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya stared at the page silently for a long time. Under the words, there was a sketch of the door. A huge wheel like mechanism attached to a series of pulleys. The power source was scribbled out. Another sketch next to it showed a human hand. The hand was smeared with faded purple ink. The markings resembled the tattoos on Maya's left hand. She held her arm up, un-gloving her hand as she read the passage underneath, scribbled down in broken Eridian. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mayas tattoos glistened in the dark tomb as she read the words silently in her head. Maya closed her eyes after memorizing the line, saying it again out loud this time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg moved away from her for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a loud hissing noise like a pressurizer unlocking. More of the cold, dry embalming gas spilled into the room, sending a chill down Mayas spine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The dead rise!" Krieg yelped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What- what just happened!?" Maya opened her eyes, closing the book. The coffin Maya was sitting on began to leak the gas. There was a loud click and the mechanisms on each of the tombs began to beep loudly, the censors noticing the sudden atmosphere change.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The coffins! Oh god, the coffins are open!" Maya quickly got to her feet, scrambling across the room and resetting the locks on all of the coffins before any substantial damage could be done. Who knew how far along in decomposition the bodies could be. Maya had seen a lot, but the idea of seeing the mummified remains of the one woman she ever looked up to frightened her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg stood up straight like there was an icicle stuck up his ass, his eye wide open and a frightened expression was set deep in his face, showing through the mask. His bald brow furrowed and the scars on the bridge of his nose were wrinkled  like he was grimacing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya collapsed on the ground, holding her left hands against her chest. She gasped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the hell!" She laughed nervously. "That felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>so weird," </span>
  </em>
  <span>she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"AGH!" Krieg shook his head hard, cupping his temples with his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh my god," Maya breathed. "Krieg?" She looked up at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg started thumping his head with the ball of his hand over and over like he was trying to get water out of his ears. "The </span>
  <em>
    <span>NOISE</span>
  </em>
  <span>," he shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh shit." Maya stood up, moving towards him. "Did I do something to you? Hey, hey, talk to me." Maya grabbed his head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Gah–" Krieg grunted. "Mind my mind, miss starry eyes! You promised you wouldn't poke your pretty little nose in my ugly business!" He whined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I thought-locked you...?" Maya said quietly. "That's never happened before." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah! The ringing stopped!" Krieg looked up again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" Maya asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whatever that passage was… I have a feeling it's gonna help us find that Vault key piece," Maya said. "I don't know how I hadn't seen that book before. That's Dido's last journal from before the Order took over, it has to be." Maya took the book in her hands again. "I'm gonna show this to Tannis. It could be useful later on." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded again. "You're a supernova," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smiled. "Let's go. I have a few more things to show you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They left the cemetery, taking a walk down the cliffside towards the Academic District. The wind had gotten much stronger as the day went on, and the air became more chilled and humid. The sun wasn't visible anymore, and the clouds were a shocking pink color. The whole world seemed to be tinged with pink haze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya heard a noise come from down the road, she put her mask back on, grabbing Krieg and ducking behind a large boulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were two voices walking along the road. An older man and a younger girl. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure I'm ready for this? I don't feel ready. I feel scared. Like I'm about to crap myself!" The girl said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shh… don't be so crass. You'll be fine. Listen to the wind, the sky is in your favor. Today is the day of our lady, she is kind and merciful," the man said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked out from behind the boulder, overhearing them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What if it's not time yet, don't I need to get ready more?" The girl whined nervously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had long, dark indigo hair that went down her backside, thin braids were tied up on the back of her head. She was wearing a loose fitting powder pink ceremonial robe...and sweatpants with sneakers.  She looked real young, probably around twelve or thirteen. She held her robe up around her waist so she could move her legs better as she ran down the road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya felt her stomach tighten up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That robe used to belong to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We've waited too long already, child. Your tutors are beginning to feel like training is being wasted on you. You seem bored," the man said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, duh, I'm bored! You guys make me stare at water all day. I'm not gonna get siren powers from that!" The girl sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Which is why you will receive them tonight. When the first lightning bolt strikes, the spirit of our maiden will manifest within you." The old man smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Maya pulled her head back behind the boulder, looking up at Krieg and gritting her teeth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't like that, " Maya whispered. "I really don't like the sound of that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The old man had left the girl at that point, walking back towards the library.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya stared at the girl for a long time, watching her double take to make sure her teacher wasn't looking and taking off down the road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya subconsciously began to follow her, taking Krieg by surprise as she left him hiding behind the boulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya stayed hidden as she watched the girl, minding her footing in the shrubbery and keeping a close eye on the child as she went to the side of the cliff, swinging her legs over and dropping onto a platform below.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's my roost," Maya mumbled into Krieg's ear as he haphazardly staggered around in the brush.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A pigeon or a dove?" Krieg slipped, catching himself with his arms outstretched, breaking a couple sticks and branches on the way down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She knows where my hide-aways are. There's something up with this girl. If they're trying to make her into a siren… If they're treating her anything like they treated me, we have to do something." Maya tugged at Krieg's coat, helping him onto his feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, there you guys are! Whatcha' hidin' from? The boogeyman?" Zane's voice suddenly rang out from down the road, "I found this nice brewery, gave me a few drinks free a' charge due to the holiday. Pleasant folks ye got here on Athenas, aren't they. Wine's the strongest I've ever had though, can barely feel me fingertips." He strolled along, bottle in hand. His helmet was off and his lips were stained red from the drinking. "It's not just grapes they put in here, is it, Maya?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya jumped out from her hiding spot and slapped her hands over Zane's mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shhh!" She hushed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane nodded slowly. "Oooh, right. I mean… is it, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Captain?"</span>
  </em>
  <span> He winked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They drugged him." Moze walked up behind Zane, holding a bag of items from the market. Most of it looked like different types of candy, or toys, or ornaments. She looked like she had some fun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where have you two been exactly?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No clue. I can't read any of this stuff." Moze said. "The food smelled good though so I bought some, the other stuff isn't for me," Moze stated.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The little girl had her head peeking over the corner of the cliffside now, watching them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Amara was with me for a while, but she got caught up dancing with this huge group of people. I told her to meet us over here," Moze explained. "I still have no clue where the twins or the indexing bot are."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. She had noticed the girl watching them but she was trying to play it natural. Maybe she wouldn't pick up on anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You guys know it's like, really creepy you're sneaking on people, right?" The girl said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everybody looked over to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This area is private property. Only Maliwan officers and clergy members can walk through here," she stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, what's a squirt like you doing down there then, heh?" Zane smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm part of the clergy!" The girl held her nose up. "I'm a siren!" She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane began to laugh, hysterically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl frowned. "You better get going!" She shouted at them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Or what? You'll whine me to death?" Zane cackled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya put her hand on his shoulder, signalling him to stop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We didn't want any trouble, miss," Maya said, calmly. "When's the ceremony tonight? You've been training awful hard. We wouldn't want to miss it." Maya began to speak like one of the locals to make the girl less suspicious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When the first drop of rain hits the palace." The girl's eyes softened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you very much," Maya said. "I'll be cheering you on."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's your name?" The girl called out as Maya was rushing everybody towards the bridge to the Academic District. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, nobody important," Maya said. "Just somebody wishing well of you!" Maya had to hold herself back from gagging.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"May the goddess bless you!" The little girl waved at them as they went, Maya was frowning under her mask as she waved back. Krieg, however, was smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Academic District was very crowded. Somehow, it seemed more festive than the center of town. The ceremony would be held at the ceremony hall there, so it made some sense. Maya didn't know exactly what was going to happen, only that she was dreading it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Amara! There you are!" Moze called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara was dancing in a circle with a bunch of other women, before being pulled out and dragged back in with the rest of the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I got your stuff," Moze said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You held onto my bags for me?" Amara caught her breath.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Moze sighed. "Only ‘cause it was expensive." She handed the bags of goodies over, acting disinterested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Amara said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't mention it," Moze grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now we're only missing the other three," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fl4k went to scope out the different species of ratch living in the sewers. I think the twins have entered to be performers tonight during the opera," Amara said. "How's my makeup?" She asked. "It's not smeared is it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze looked Amara up and down, huffing and crossing her arms. "It's not bad. It's starting to look like you ran through a glitter bomb, though," she snickered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I did." Amara looked back at her. "Maybe that will cover it a bit."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe," Moze said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well anyways, guys. Krieg and I went searching through some of my old things, and I think we found out how to get to the Vault key piece!" Maya scrambled to take Dido's book out from her bag. She flipped to the folded page and showed the girls. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you see a door like this, tell me. I think I might be the only one who can open it," Maya whispered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze and Amara both nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Then she turned to show Zane, who was leaning against Krieg for extra balance. "See?" She pointed. Zane nodded. He seemed totally gone. "I told you that stuff wasn't good for you," Maya groaned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm havin' the best trip of me life!" Zane retorted. His speech was slurred.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group went to go looking for the door in the library, running through hallway after hallway. Unfortunately there were Maliwan officers swarming the place.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They fiery green few who look at bloody cuts, piercing me with eyes I can't see." Krieg grabbed Maya and glanced across the hall at a group of soldiers together, quietly talking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey you, big guy!" One of them called. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg looked around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah you, how many other giant bald behemoths are runnin' around this place? Where are you supposed to be right now?" The officer said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg panicked. "In the grand reapers lap!" He screamed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guards pulled out their guns and Maya pushed everybody to run away as fast as they could. Starting a firefight there would be dangerous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they were being chased, they found themselves being run out of the library and into the crowds of people. They scrambled to lose the guards and went deeper and deeper in until they blended in with the masses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then there was the sound of a bell. The same sound they heard when they had first arrived. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A man began to speak, the same man who was talking to the little girl earlier. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Welcome, friends and family, brothers and sisters, to the third night of the Festival of the Storm. Tonight we will demonstrate the story of our six Siren goddesses, and how they helped mankind into the state it is today. Take your partner's hand, and dance a most joyous dance with us tonight, as it is the night of our most holy lady!" The man bowed and the crowds cheered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A stone tablet was lowered down to the stage with an engraving of a spider on it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>The first story: Phase-Shift.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya grabbed Krieg's hands as the music started and the actors came onto the stage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Follow my lead and we'll be okay," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mmm…. Yes ma'am," Krieg squeaked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first song started off light and airy. It was fast paced, this section required you and a partner to do lots of twirls. As the song went on though, it began to slow down. The moves began to become more dramatic. And then, at the loudest part of the song, the key changed. Maya had heard this dance be called 'The Loss of Innocence' to represent when the first phase-shifter siren was given the gift of infinite knowledge and sight, and the responsibility pushed onto hler because of that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya had to let Krieg dip her down deep to the floor and throw her up over and over again without dropping her, and all on his first time. Some people couldn't complete it, that was part of the show. Couples that messed up the dance would sit out and come back near the end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya could see Moze and Amara both following everything they were doing, Zane meanwhile was lying on the floor with a group of women, smoking a pipe and drinking more of the wine. "You two are doing good!" Maya encouraged Amara and Moze. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The song finished. Krieg had sweat beading on his head. He was nervous, but he was definitely determined. He held Maya firmly, but at the same time gentle enough so that she could take the lead while still being the lighter half of the dance. "That's one," Maya said. Krieg nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next tablet that moved down had an animal on it that resembled a fox.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "</span>
  <em>
    <span>The second story: Phase-Tear.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nobody really knew what the phase-tearer’s deal was. Maya had never gotten to see a phase-tearer siren with her own eyes, but she knew that Lilith knew one for a short time before the first Vault on Pandora opened. This song began slow and sultry, Maya was pressed close against Krieg's chest, almost waltzing or doing a tango. The music was all drums and chimes. The song continued on, growing more dramatic until a new instrument was introduced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya had assumed the new conflicting melody had something to do with the phase-tearer’s name. Maybe she could create things, or pull things from other dimensions. The 'tear' would be the action of the object moving from space to space, causing a tear in reality of some kind. Maya didn't know for sure. The song finished with Maya leaning against Krieg, who had to bend over at the back to fit her above him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girls were doing very well so far, Amara was practically holding Moze up above her. She seemed to be in her element.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next tablet showed the engraving of a tiger. Amara had bumped Maya on purpose when she noticed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My turn to lead, sis," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>The third story: Phase-Cast.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara moved her legs like they were a separate entity than her torso, her upper half moved so elegantly, smooth and balanced, while her legs connected to the ground powerfully, holding up her weight. Moze barely even touched the floor, she looked like she was weightless, being tossed about like a sack of potatoes. The difference in skill level between the two captivated Maya. Moze seemed like she couldn't mess up even if she tried, and Amara was happy to carry her through. Krieg was less confident. His head was turned to look at everything Amara was doing to make sure he didn't mess up. He was good in the power aspect, but he moved awkwardly and with hesitation. Maya had to hold onto him as much as he did her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The taking over of one partner in the phase-caster's dance represented her reliability, and durability. The original phase-caster siren was a provider, and protected a whole planet for years by herself before being rewarded with the gift to summon helpers from the spirit dimension, or at least that's what Maya had been told.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time the song had finished, half of the dancers were on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next tablet showed a bird with wings outstretched and talons bared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>The fourth story</span>
  </em>
  <span>: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Phasewalk.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This dance was the most fun, in Maya’s opinion. It gave the most space to actually dance around a bit and not just follow everybody else. Krieg held her wrist in one hand as they danced in circles around each other to the fast paced music, pulling her in and spinning her like a top. Maya laughed. Krieg picked her up and held her above his head for a moment, almost pretending to let go. The sudden drop made Maya’s heart race. Krieg really seemed to like this one as well, the beat had a swing kind of feel to it that he liked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first phasewalker siren was a war hero, known for her one man raids on enemy kingdoms long, long ago. She would charge into battle without a second thought until one day she charged right into another world. The song represented her boldness, and the repeating swing rhythm represented her headstrong decision-making. Very few people were left standing now; Krieg, Maya, Moze, and Amara were among the last few.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next tablet had a bat on it, two of them as a matter of fact. One was swaddled up, upside down while the other was right side up, wings outstretched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>The fifth story: Phaseleech.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, as the music started, the floor began to writhe. The dancers that had been out in the previous dances were allowed to participate again. The dance of the main couples would be a simple waltz, while the others would constantly pull partner away from partner. The goal by the end was to end up with the same person you started with. Looking up on stage, Maya could see Troy and Tyreen, draped in white cloth, acting out the events of the story as the music played.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The story was a tragic one, of two sisters living together as princesses, one gifted with great powers at birth while the other was completely normal. The one who wasn't gifted began to grow jealous of her sister, eventually killing her. The next day she wakes up, now realizing she had taken her sister's power from her. There was only one downside; everything she touched died and calcified on impact with her skin. Her sister was the only one who could touch her. Her madness grew and grew until she took so much power in, that it turned her into stone. The constant pulling away of partners represented how the sisters were given one life to share, and that they could not exist without each other. The music stopped suddenly with the drop of a mallet, representing how the Phaseleech siren had turned to stone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze reached her hands out, surrounded by people. "Amara!" She yelped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara was across from her, surrounded by a different group. "Oh no!" She said, being pulled down by a laughing group of dancers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya and Krieg stood alone in the middle of everybody. A ring had formed around them of onlookers. The sun had set and the wind grew so harsh that Maya’s bun had come undone and her hair was whipping in her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt a single raindrop fall on her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The storm had arrived.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next stone that came down showed the picture of a small house cat, sitting alone, eyes widened and tail up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya didn't move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"The sixth story: Phaselock."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rain began to fall more and more as the music started up, slowly and gracefully. Then it changed. But Maya had Krieg move at the same speed. The song changed again. She still danced with him at the same speed. The Phaselock siren was supposed to represent serenity as a whole, at least that's what Maya was taught to believe. The first Phaselock siren's story told of how to have patience, and how to be wary of curiosity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was once a girl tasked with lighting a candle every day. She did it without question. One day, she met somebody. They told her to come with them, and to forget the candle. They would come back every day begging the girl to forget about the candle and come with. Eventually the girl became bored of lighting the candle and left with her new friend, to see what else life had in store for her. When she returned, the town she lived in had been taken in by a storm and flooded with black water. Her candle was the only thing keeping the storm away. The girl knew she had to fix it, she studied and studied and soon, she had taught herself how to start fires that would send the storm back. She was gifted with the ability to preserve, to heal, and to control the elements at will. Through her work, it is said that Athenas was formed. The plateaus and cliffs poking up from the sea were products of her dedication. Every time the storm would arrive, she would stand tall, waiting for it to pass until one day the storm itself bended to her will.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya supposed for so long that maybe this was the reason she'd been held up to such high standards. She knew now that the story was only there to make her look past everything. She knew now that she could choose what she wanted, she didn't have to sit still while somebody used her. It made her furious that they were still pushing that same story, after everything that happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rain poured down onto Maya and Krieg and to the rest of the crowd, becoming more and more violent by the second.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the music finally stopped, the crowd cheered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you to all who participated in these beautiful dances, in showing your gratitude to our kind and merciful maiden." The man from earlier began to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Most of you may know, seven years ago to the day, our great and holy maiden Maya the Prophet left us. We were fools then, controlled by greed and hunger for power. She had spared us then, though we did not deserve it. Her only punishment was her departure." The man spoke as if he was going to cry. People in the audience began to wail out as he recounted what happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Today though, seven years after that horrible day, we have turned over a new leaf. We praise the goddess for her compassion! And thank her for her mercy! And we present a gift!" He held his hands up. "Many of you have seen the clergy's pupil, an orphan girl by the name of Ava that we had taken in soon after the Prophet Maya left this realm. Today she is here, giving up her body and soul for the goddess!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a sharp light that came piercing through the rain and to the top of the cathedral at the far end of town. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was standing up there, in the pouring freezing rain in that little pink robe, holding a metal ring in both hands above her head. A little girl who had to be no older than fourteen up there, so high on that building.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When the first stroke of lightning comes down tonight, Ava the Vessel will become Ava the Prophet, her human body will be lost in the storm, and her siren body will stand in the place. Pray for our little sister. She gives her life for us!" The man wept.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The audience held their hands up towards Ava, wailing and crying, invoking spells and speaking in tongues.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Give thanks to the Goddess, give thanks to her Prophets for their generosity!" The man called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Praise the Goddess!" The town cried out, seeming to be all  in unison. "Praise the Prophet Ava! Praise the Prophet Maya!" They chanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked on, taking her mask off slowly and locking eyes with the young girl from so very far away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, as if being possessed by a higher being, Maya's tattoos grew so very hot, melting the synthetic fabric gloves she had on, burning her coat to singes and shining through the rain like a beacon. Heat exploded from her back like a pair of grandiose wings outstretching towards the heavens. She felt as if she was experiencing everything in slow motion. She looked around, seeing the shocked expressions of her disciples and basking in the fear and awe in their eyes. Slowly and silently, she walked forwards, parting the crowd silently, her hands down neatly at her sides. Nobody dared to stand in her way. She stopped in front of the cathedral and faced the crowd. They waited for her to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya opened her mouth to speak, but the noise that came out shattered the cathedral windows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya screamed.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Drastic Measures</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>The townspeople collapsed to their knees in a wave of awe as glass sprayed out from every window within a three-mile radius. The Vault Hunters stood up, joining Krieg in looking onwards at Maya, confused yet attentive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She's returned to us!" The townsfolk cried. "Today's truly the most divine day!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>SHUT UP</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" Maya screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt the eyes of hundreds of people suddenly lock on her, fearful for what she might do next.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where are the clergymen?" Maya demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The people were silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>SPEAK</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Maya's wings stretched outwards, splattering the ground with acid and sending a cloud of steam into the air from all of the rain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, members of the clergy began to stand up, bowing their heads in shame.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I told you, people, to stop this, didn't I? What? You don't listen to your '</span>
  <em>
    <span>prophets'</span>
  </em>
  <span> when they actually give orders? What is the meaning of this? Answer me!" She gripped her fists tightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're so sorry ch</span>
  <span>—</span>
  <span> I mean… I mean, Maya," one man said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya felt a pain in her temples. The man was lifted into the air by his neck, his throat phase locked from the inside. He squirmed in the air, gasping for breath and clawing at the invisible force holding him up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I gave you your chance. 'Sorry' doesn't work anymore. You don't deserve my forgiveness." Maya let him go and as soon as he got a chance to catch his breath, she phase locked all members of the clergy at the same time, popping their heads open one by one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The crowd screamed as the bits of tissue and brain matter splashed onto them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When I tell you to stop this… this nonsense… these practices… this goddamn cult, you listen to me! You people used me! All of you! None of you cared! When I was beaten, when I was starved, when baby girls my age were being slaughtered by the truckload, when I was locked in my room for weeks on end, when I couldn't attend school because my training was 'special,' you had your parties, your feasts. You hid yourselves from the rest of the universe because you were so </span>
  <em>
    <span>ashamed</span>
  </em>
  <span> of what you were doing to me, yet you had the </span>
  <em>
    <span>gall</span>
  </em>
  <span> to act victimized by me. Once, I had thought maybe, just maybe it was just Sophis. That's why you're all so </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrified</span>
  </em>
  <span> of me, right? Because he told you to be. And you never let that go, seven years later? I thought maybe, now that he was gone, you could finally be free to think for yourselves. I was wrong. You couldn't take it! You pass this onto another young girl! You ruin another generation! Tell me, where did you find Ava? Was she an orphan before I left, or did you kill her parents when they wanted to protect her from you?" Maya screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The people wailed out, moaning unintelligibly, apologizing, and holding their hands out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>"You people disgust me! All of you! </span><em><span>You will PAY</span></em> <em><span>for what you've done</span></em><span>!" Maya lifted her hand up, but before she could do anything, beams of light began to shine on her from the city walls.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"STOP RIGHT THERE! MAKE ANOTHER MOVE AND YOU WILL BE SHOT!" A voice came over the P.A.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked up to see snipers lining the walls, aiming at her from all angles. She looked back into the crowd and above them to the few standing figures directly in the middle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She locked eyes with Krieg, and she could feel how afraid he was. Not for himself, but for her. She must've blinked, or done something to set him off because all of the sudden he started running.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He only got about half of the way to her before the guns went off, bolts of green and red and blue and yellow shot directly at the two of them, causing an explosion along with lots more screaming. The sound rang through the crowd for a long time, like thunder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the hell just happened!?" Moze shouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, there's no way in hell they survived that," Zane said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara grabbed them. "We've gotta start moving. This is it. This is our first big mission," she said, throwing her mask to the side and rubbing her makeup off her face. "Troy! Tyreen! It's time to go!" She shouted up at the twins.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'd thought you'd never say that!" The twins shouted back in unison, sticking their arms out to either side of them, grabbing on to the nearest person, and draining them until they were calcified husks, frozen in place in their moment of death. They hopped off the stage, ripping their robes off and revealing their real Siren tattoos underneath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You culty weirdos fucked with the wrong crowd!" Troy laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>People began to run, avoiding the Vault Hunters at all costs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was only when the first crack of lightning struck that the group realized the cathedral was on fire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava stood, clutching the stone spire at the very top of the building with her entire being. She sobbed, her cries being suffocated by the pouring rain. The fire spread quickly, and without the windows, the walls began to collapse. It was only a matter of time before the whole thing came down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane pointed up at the girl. "Amara, what in the hell are we to do about that?" He asked, shaking off his haze and sending out his drone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think my beast may be able to help." There was a click of a button and Fl4k materialized in front of them. Meat Thief was stuck on their shoulder, wide-eyed and ready to do something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yer little tiny jabber?" Zane asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He will lead the girl to a steady point in the structure while we go get the Vault Key fragment. Amara could phase cast and help her down," Fl4k said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That means I'll have to stay back. Fine, as long as the girl's safe." Amara sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You two!" Moze said, looking over to the twins. "We think we know where the Vault Key piece is; you guys know anything about a Siren-powered door?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tyreen put her hand on her chin for a moment.  "Troy, check the books. Dad said something about a fancy room… dunno about a door," she said</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The Vault Key was a parting gift from Dad to Empress Dido, she had him design a door to put it behind. Dad said she was the only one able to open it. Does it look anything like this?" Troy held up a page from his father's old journal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's exactly it!" Amara shouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was another shot fired from the cannons, except this time it was closer. The air was filled with steam and radioactive gas and they couldn't see anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll go find the door, you guys deal with the Mali-jobs," Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara nodded and the twins went running into the library. Officers took notice and started after them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze reached for her assault rifle and began to pick off some of them, giving the twins some extra time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane stayed by her, letting his drone fly by the walls to sabotage some of the cannons as Amara and Fl4k went to save Ava.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They ran through the thick fog. Amara had to hold her breath and close her eyes to not be blinded by the elemental cocktail of smoke coming off the ground where the cannons hit. Fl4k led her to a part of the cathedral that wasn't completely overtaken by the fire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They held their hand out, scratching the little jabber's head before setting it on a windowsill. "Go now, get that girl. Bring her down to us and you will be rewarded. Make me proud, little one." Fl4k commanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meat Thief scurried up the side of the cathedral as fast as its limbs could take it, careful not to collapse the structure more than the fire was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You two!" Somebody called. "Stay back from the cathedral or else!" A Maliwan guard raised a pistol, holding down the trigger until a blue spark shot from the barrel, making it glow in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Or what? You're gonna use that flashlight on us?" Amara taunted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not allowed to interfere with the order's rituals! It's violation of Captain Traunt's orders!" The guard squeaked. It was obviously his first time on the job.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara smirked. "Good thing we're not with Maliwan then, isn't it?" She pulled her hand back and her tattoos flashed. Before getting another word in, the guard's head went flying clean off his body. Amara shook her hand and wiped the blood off her knuckles. "How's that for a cannon?" She chuckled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Your arms must be made of non-organic material," Fl4k stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara laughed, shaking her head. "No, just practice! Speaking of; we're getting surrounded here. I suggest you stand back if you don't want your circuits fried."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a heavy launching themselves towards the two, noticing the officer that just went down. Fl4k turned their cloaking device back on and ran away from Amara to let her do her thing. Amara’s tattoos lit up again and her arms extended out from her back as she phasecasted a fist into the air, slamming the heavy down into the cobblestone as she grabbed her gun. The ground seized blue with static electricity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Up above, Ava was reciting every prayer she knew of. The fire crept towards her faster and faster despite the rain, it sent steam up that scalded her face and stung her eyes if she looked down for too long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman she talked to earlier turned out to be a Siren, and she had the audacity to tell her to leave. She was sure she was in for it now. She knew something bad was gonna happen as soon as her tutor told her they were planning to perform the ceremony today, now he was dead. She was certain she'd be next. If the fire or the lightning didn't kill her she knew the Siren would. She was a sinner, and she'd been taught not to fear death. But god was she afraid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava screamed as hard as she could, but it seemed like nobody would listen. She was beginning to feel exhausted; breathing in all the chemicals wasn't helping. She hadn't planned on a way of getting down that didn't involve gracefully gliding down with wings made of fire. She was stuck. She crossed her legs around the steeple and tucked her head into her chest, holding on as tightly as she could. She shook every time lightning struck. She didn't know how close the bolts were coming and she was too scared to look up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt a small hand brush against her, She looked up only to see the big red eyes of a jabber looking right back at her. She hollered, letting go of the steeple for a second, the loss of balance making her stumble backwards and go rolling along down the side of the roof, unable to stop herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The jabber slid after her, grabbing her with the digits on its tail and pulling her up. She turned on her stomach and began to crawl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fire was more fierce the farther down they went, Ava coughed the whole way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They came to a ledge and the jabber jumped off onto a smaller building, tilting its head to the side expectantly at Ava, like it was waiting for her to jump across with it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The gap was too far and Ava was too weak to stand all the way up, much less jump from building to building. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The cathedral seemed to moan under her. Substantial structural damage had been done now because of the fire, and the whole thing felt unsteady, like it was going to collapse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava coughed again, putting her head in her knees. Below her, she saw one of the other Sirens the lady from earlier was with fighting a group of Maliwan heavies. She wasn't sure if she should call out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt dizzy, and the smoke stung her eyes and clogged her throat.  She blacked out.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Moze and Zane were across the street, working together like old buddies running a drill together at camp. The gunfire was a tempo to keep and the smoke was their camouflage. Moze was leading with her assault rifle in hand, Not letting anybody into the library as the twins worked, while Zane kept watching from above with a sniper. His clone stayed below with Moze, echoing his words to her and backing her up with a revolver. Every time Zane fired his gun, he sang along to this melody he had in his head, like a grand orchestra of metal. Moze thrummed out the beat below him, cussing and spitting to add some vocals.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're reloading the cannons! Can you get that drone over there, Zane?" Moze called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can do!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can do!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zane redirected his drone towards the opposite wall, the autopilot sent signals back to him on what it was targeting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hit 'em with the rocket pods, little one!" Zane snickered, tracing his targets down with a laser from his wrist. He flicked his wrist and the light disappeared, signaling the strike. Zane's drone began circling around the cannons like a swarm of insects, firing tiny missiles out of a retractable cannon at the bottom of it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rockets looked like sparklers as they found their way to their destinations, obviously handmade and a bit unstable. They struck the cannons all at the same time, causing another massive explosion and sending debris everywhere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That'll buy us some more time, at least," Moze said, wiping her forehead. She looked to the side of her and nobody was there. Zane's clone had dematerialized from the blast. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane swung his legs over his perch and hopped down next to Moze, switching his gun out to his revolver. "Come on back now, Zoomer, ye done good." Zane held out his arm, letting the drone come back to him and fasten itself around his wrist like a watch. It even showed the time!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hope you've got more toys, </span>
  <em>
    <span>grandpa</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It looks like they're about to call backup." Moze elbowed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>"Why don't yeh get out yer </span><em><span>teddy</span></em> <em><span>bear</span></em><span> then miss? Make it a playdate! Ca'mon, it'll be fun." Zane smirked.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a loud popping noise and green sludge was sprayed over the library walls, narrowly missing the two. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What was that?" Moze asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My guess is one of the heavy's fuel tanks sprung a leak durin' that blast. Whole place is probably a feckin' witch’s cauldron of elemental soup right about now- a minefield!" Zane said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The smoke was finally beginning to clear as the rain began to fall harder and harder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze squinted, putting her hand to her eyes to block the rain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you see them in there?" She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who, the lovebirds? Doubt it." He raised his eyebrows. "Don't think even a roach coulda' survived tha-" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze pointed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya was still standing still in the middle of the street, holding her arms out to the sides of her, completely untouched. The ground below her was as clean as it was when she got there. The only difference was Krieg, kneeling over at her side in a heap. It almost seemed like he was smoking, but they didn't know if it was from the guns or it was just him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're alive!" Amara cheered out from across the road, her large phase-casted arms rocketing towards the sky triumphantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked around cautiously, before letting the phaselock go and darting to Krieg's aid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She laid her hands on him, his coat had been melted off and his mask had cracked. She could see his mouth and his jagged teeth. He was biting down so hard that his gums were bleeding, and spit was dripping down his chin like a dog. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can you stand up, I need you to stand up now, we gotta go. We gotta go, big guy. I messed up big time, we gotta go right now." Maya panicked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg groaned, lifting his head up to the sky and rubbing his hands over his face, letting the rain wash over him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oooh, I've missed this feeling!" He sang, his voice gargled a bit. "Let them hit me again! Hit me again! Over and over until I can't feel anything but agony!" He slammed his knuckles into the cobblestone over and over until his hands were as bloody as his back was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya pushed him with all her might but he wouldn't move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is something broken?" She asked desperately, noticing the officers taking aim again. "You gotta tell me right now. Tell me right now," Maya demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg looked up at her, grabbing her face and kissing her on the lips, smearing his blood on her face and rolling over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Go, fly away! My fingers itch, my teeth are yearning! Hit me again! Fire! Let me see the barrel of your </span>
  <em>
    <span>pain-blaster</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" He crawled away from Maya, shaking his fist up at the officers. His legs were broken.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fire on target." Somebody ordered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They wound up their guns and fired on him, the fire was snuffed out by the rain as soon as it would catch, but Krieg's skin was giving off steam like a kettle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the- ignore that one! Focus on the Siren!" The Maliwan officer barked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They took aim at Maya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I told you- I told you it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>MY turn</span>
  </em>
  <span>!" Krieg's voice rattled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He propped himself up, bringing his mangled knees towards his body. He grit his teeth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hit me again! Do it!" He spat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fire on the Siren." The officer persisted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg suddenly threw himself forward, grabbing on to one of the officers and shaking them violently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They shot him again, right at his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya knew what he was doing as soon as he ran over there, and she was upset. She didn't like seeing him like that— it hurt her as much as it hurt him. All she could do was stand back and watch now, if she went and tried to help him he could end up worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>First, his back tensed up. He twitched. A chill crept up his spine, down his arms, pricked his ears, and set the whole thing off. He took a sharp breath of air, bracing himself for it. His knees twisted around, snapping themselves back in place with a loud, wet cracking noise. His shoulders rippled, his neck bulged. Every vein on his body looked like it was about to burst. He reached outwards with his right hand, watching how his bones broke and reformed over and over again. His flesh pulsated, trying to catch up with the sudden growth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His left arm twitched, his wrist twisted around madly, cracking his bones and making them protrude through his skin. It couldn't keep up with the right arm, so it hung uselessly at his side, writhing around and tensing up on its own accord. His spine segments popped through his skin and extended upwards, his ribs thrummed out like insect legs, re-wrapping themselves around his torso and setting back into place. He towered over a normal human now, nearly nine feet tall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He threw his head back and roared, sending a thick cloud of smoke from deep within his throat. Tissue stretched across his backside. His skin bubbled as it grew back, blistering up and sending steam out like boiling soup. His eye glazed over as he detached himself from reality, letting the transformation take him out. Maya could practically see him switching in and out of tunnel vision. His pupil dilated and refocused over and over again, like a cat or some large lizard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew things were gonna start getting messy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Over here!" Amara called out, taking Maya's attention away from Krieg.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The building's coming down!" Amara said, throwing one of the heavies over her shoulder. "I don't know where the kid went." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya ran over to her, clearing out the area. "If she's gone, she's gone. At least we tried. We're not here for that," Maya said. "It's my fault. I lost it back there. I'm not that good of an example, am I?" Maya took out her gun, shooting at the soldiers Amara tossed up in the air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara didn't answer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"On your left!" Moze called. Somebody was trying to sneak up on them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara's fist connected with their jaw, sending them flying back a few feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We should go after that girl." Amara looked back. "It's the right thing to do." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'd rather her be dead than live like that any longer." Maya said solemnly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then I will. The twins went in to find that door. You should probably meet up with them, you might be the only one who knows how to open it." Amara said. She turned back towards the chapel and ran.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Amara, wait!" Maya called. It was no use. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The roof began to cave in, the walls began to crumble. Maya couldn't even see her through the smoke anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the hell is that thing? Fucking shoot at it!" Maya heard somebody call out from behind her as Krieg screamed at the top of his lungs. A headless body was chucked over the top of her head and flailed as it hit the floor. Maya couldn't see anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a distinct smell of burning flesh that wafted through the air as he passed her, she could see the glint in his eye and his cracked skin and the embers he was giving off through the smoke, but that was it. The rain was too strong for his skin to ignite. He looked like a cryptid juggernauting towards his next victim.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya coughed. She felt sick. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We need backup! Call the Captain, call the General! Hell, get to Katagawa if you have to! We can't lose this planet to a couple of Pandorian nuts and their pet monsters!"  The intercom crackled and whistled as it burned up, Maya felt a sick sense of satisfaction knowing they wouldn't be able to use it anymore, even if they would just put a new one up after they were gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She made her way over to the library where Zane and Moze were staking out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a loud crashing noise and smoke was sent across the entire district as the chapel collapsed. Maya looked out, shielding her eyes and covering her mouth she couldn't see anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Amara!? Krieg!?" She coughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maya, wait! The door!" Moze said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shook her head, being torn away again. She felt dizzy, like she'd been running in circles for a while. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara was kneeling down at the end of the wreckage, her eyes bugging out and her tattoos ablaze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What happened?" Maya asked her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He-he just went in. He looked like a beast… the whole thing fell on him. Why did he look like that?" Amara mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean it </span>
  <em>
    <span>fell</span>
  </em>
  <span> on him?" Maya panicked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Krieg!" She called out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Help me look for him, Amara." Maya coughed, burning her hands on singed beams as she tried to lift them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara tossed the rubble to the side, but there was no sign of Krieg or Ava. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya called out again, no answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shit." Amara coughed. "What's with this smoke?" She choked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Probably whatever new slag substitute they're trying. It doesn't smell— it doesn't smell like Athenian Salt." Maya wheezed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're gonna die of turbo cancer before we ever get shot at this rate, where could they be?" Amara said aloud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pulled up plank by plank, beam by beam, but still nothing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya felt like she was gonna vomit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, at the corner of her eye, Maya saw them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A piece of the wall stood slanted over them, dripping hot rubble onto Krieg's neck. He seemed unphased. His teeth were bared, spit was pouring from his mouth and down his neck. His body was slowly returning to his normal state, and he had cooled off considerably. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He held Ava in his right arm, cradling her head in his large hand. Her mouth was covered by a thin piece of fabric to block the smoke. That was the bandana Krieg had been using back on Pandora. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava had blood caked in her hair and in her nose. Her face was bruised badly and her wrist had been broken. She was still breathing, although faintly. But she was still alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Krieg!" Maya yelled, stumbling over the remains of a pew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg looked up at her, startled. His eye widened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Help." His voice rattled like a wardrum, inhuman sounding. It vibrated in Maya's ears and made her chest tingle and her eyes sting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>God</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Amara whispered, seeing them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the hell happened to you?"</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. One Step Closer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Don't," Maya cleared her throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara shook her head. "No, no, I don't want to know. I mean, I do. Just not now," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry about it," Maya told her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya bent down, locking eyes with Krieg. "You did good, but we need to get out of here before you relax. If you want her to live, we need to go," she whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg rose to his feet slowly. His breath was ragged and his eyes were dark. He limped as he walked. His back muscles rippled and his spine tensed up slowly, making little creaking noises as he went back down to his original size. His left arm snapped back into place, and his right was back to its normal size. He could still carry Ava in one arm but having his left again helped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rushed them out of the smog and back towards Moze and Zane. They hid inside the library for a while to recoup. The cannons had stopped now that Maliwan had lost track of Maya and Krieg, but they had gotten in contact with Captain Traunt now. Maya had to call up to the S3 to tell them to turn the cloaking device on in case they brought more warships down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg was out of breath. He collapsed against a wall as soon as they were out of any immediate harm. He held Ava against his chest like a distressed gorilla fleeing from a forest fire. His skin was still hot, steaming even. He was dirty, wet, and blood was smeared all over his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's no heaven in the flames!" He choked. "No matter how hard we try to salvage it, the spears of bad juju still pierce the undersides of my fingernails!" His voice cracked as he looked down at Ava's face. "Who swatted at you, caterpillar? Answer me!" He moved a bit, making her head toss limply against his elbow now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg's voice had pitched up now. He sounded like he was going to cry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya knelt down next to him. "Let me see her," she said. "She's lucky you caught her. She could've died if it wasn't for you." Maya gently put her hand on Ava's forehead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg pouted. "Don't let it see me!" He whined. "It'll die with one glimpse!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya stopped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've got a dead kitten in my hands! Oh, I can see the tabloids filling up. Where'd the goldfish go? Who broke my mirror? My chest </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurts.</span>
  </em>
  <span> And it feels like a sour fruit withered away in the pit of my stomach!" Krieg cried out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you want me to help her or not?" Maya frowned. "I don't like you talking like that about yourself, you know. Your heart's bigger than your head, big guy. Even if you banged her up a little bit... it's better than being dead," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Condemn this foul vessel," Krieg mumbled. "Take the larva away from me as soon as it opens up. Ugh— I can't stand looking down at it any longer!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright," Maya replied. She ran her fingers along Ava's forehead, and pressed on her chest with her left hand, letting her powers do the work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava twitched and she began coughing like she'd been underwater for too long. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg tensed up, squirming as she began to move again, too nervous in himself to keep holding her but even more nervous to let go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did I die?" Ava asked weakly, barely opening her swollen eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, you're hurt though. If we waited any longer you could've been," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava rubbed her eyes. "Oh no... You're that siren lady. Oh god—" she moved suddenly, breaking away from Krieg's arms and scooching herself across the floor. "Please don't hurt me… I was just doing what they wanted, I'm sorry I made you mad. I'm sorry." She whimpered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg stared her down, stunned. He glanced up at Maya, then back towards Ava. Then back at Maya again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not gonna hurt you," Maya assured. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm so sorry," Ava repeated again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't apologize, kid. You didn't do anything wrong," Maya said, thinking for a moment. "We can take you away from this. It'll be better that way. Maybe find you a new home in one of the inner planets. A kid this young shouldn't be put through this shit… I'll make it better." Maya reached her hand out towards her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava flinched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Misdirected caution from the poor little puppy-dog. Her eyes have been pried open too many times. Her nanny probably gave her the switch! Be gentle. Sometimes the little bugs bite harder than the dragonflies." Krieg tugged at Maya's belt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava turned to look at him. "What?" She blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rolled her eyes. "He's telling me he understands why you're so jumpy. Unfortunately, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Krieg</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I'm not in the mood to baby anybody. You know the drill already, kid. My name is Maya. I left this place seven years ago to become a Vault Hunter. This is my partner, his name is Krieg. He's shy. He's very nice though. Say hi, big fella."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg covered his head with his arms when Maya said his name, twiddling his fingers at Ava like he was trying to wave hello without drawing too much attention to himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're here because we've found another Vault," Maya explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait… you're not here to bathe the world in fire and send us unclean sinners all to the depths of hell?" Ava's eyes widened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya slapped her forehead. "No! I'm not— listen. You need to forget everything these guys have taught you. Life isn't like this. It doesn't have to be. You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm just a normal person, okay? Just like you. Just like Krieg, and everybody else."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava still looked cautious. "Vault Hunters. You guys are like, the real deal, huh?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded. "On the sister's brim. Her collarbone bears eldritch riches. I hope we see more tentacles. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Heheh</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Cool," Ava mumbled. "Still don't understand what he's saying."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The Vault is on Promethea. Part of the Key is here though, that's why we stopped," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A Key piece…" Ava echoed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't suppose you might know anything about that?" Maya questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nuh-uh." Ava mumbled. "I think I would've known if I'd seen something like that around here. I know this place like the back of my hand." She laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, they let you attend school here?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava shook her head, embarrassed. "No. No… I snuck out." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "Yeah, figured as much." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard footsteps from down the hallway. Maya sprang to attention, grabbing her gun and aiming. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think we found it!" Troy waved from down the hall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya lowered her gun. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, you three are still kicking! Sweet. Oh! That reminds me. Captain, I think we need some help with the door. If either you or Amara or both of you could run down and help us crack this sucker open it would quicken things up a bit," He sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You found it?" Maya lit up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Think so! Man, I could recognize dad's signature anywhere," Troy said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked back. Krieg still needed more time to cool off… and the kid…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ava was your name, right?" Maya knelt down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stay here with Krieg. He's gonna watch you while we go get that Vault key piece. Be nice to him," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg blinked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I need you to sit here for a while big guy. Rest up, watch the kid. I'll be back in a second. You be good. Don't get up. I don't want you hurt, okay?" Maya grabbed his hands. He nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya, Amara and Troy went down the hall, leaving them behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went down to the library's courtyard. The clearing was quiet, except for the rain and the muffled sounds of panic from the outside. They made their way down the stairs and through the garden, being careful not to disturb the outrageously colored fish swimming in the koi ponds more than they already were. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door was large and circle shaped, gilded with fake gold plates. The color had been scratched off in places where the children would touch it and hang off. Mostly young boys, there were barely ever any girls at the school. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door was decorated in large flourishing engravings and mechanical stints that stuck out and a large 'T' was fitted in the center. Maya glanced at the paper again. The 'T' probably stood for Typhon. And knowing the twins, Maya could picture how full of himself Mr. DeLeon was. She sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Stand back," Maya said, sticking her hand out and repeating the words written in Dido's book. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her tattoos glowed madly, making the rain dazzle as it bounced off her skin. The door clicked, the large mechanical stints pushed themselves inwards, and the engravings shifted to the side, causing the door to start spinning in place. The walls rattled and popped but there were no pipes or steam powering the contraption, only Maya. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins locked eyes in awe for a moment, whispering to each other and ogling Maya's abilities with eyes as big and glossy as the bottom of a soda bottle.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door lifted up into the wall, causing some of the over-layed brick structure to fall out. The door clicked into place and stopped moving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Cool," Tyreen whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shook her wrist like she'd just touched a hot stove. "I can't believe that worked!" She exclaimed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, let's go in! What're we waiting for?" Amara smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya stood in front of them, blocking the way for a moment. "Wait, we don't know if it's booby-trapped or anything. They could've added extra defense before the Order took over. Let me go first, I know what they usually look like," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They nodded, letting her go ahead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was large and ivy hung lusciously down from the ceiling, untouched for nearly half a century. Arches made up the ceiling, sharper and shorter than the Vaults, but definitely made during that time period. Man-made waterfalls lined the walls, connected to the city's streams and rivers.  Geometric Eridian statues were placed around the room, in spots that made it seem like a museum site, but other than the stone walkway in the middle, the room was filled with water. The statutes didn't have any writing on them, at least none that Maya could decipher.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a strange feeling, being in a place that was so old. She could tell what things were there from the last use of the room, and what things were truly ancient. She felt an odd sense of familiarity standing there, although she'd never been in this place before. There was a chest at the far end of the room. Maya went up to it and held her arm out to phaselock it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The chest undid itself and the top of it moved in a similar way as the door did, with each piece of engraved stone collapsing and folding back into itself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, there it was… the Vault Key piece. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maya, there's a lot of air traffic coming from above, I think they're calling more people in," Amara called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya took the Vault Key piece in her hands, holding it up to the pale light. It had the same engravings as the Vault Map, and it glowed a faint purple. It was pretty heavy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I got the piece... But there's so much here! Tannis would love to see this," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins peered around the corners of the door, then gasped in unison. They ran in together, disregarding anything Maya had to say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Look at all this stuff, Ty!" Troy exclaimed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dad's been through here. Look over there at the wall." Tyreen pointed at the far end of the room. There was a pedestal there with a big 'T' on it. "That looks like it's got ECHO tapes installed on it. Typical. Send it to that crazy science bitch; bet she'd love listening to one of Dad's sex tapes. Especially with a siren." Tyreen scrunched up her nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked back. "What do you mean sex tapes?" She asked. She wasn't sure if she wanted the answer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All Dad would talk about," Troy stated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya felt sad for them. She sighed, nodding over to Amara. "The room is safe. You can come in." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This architecture is beautiful," Amara said. "Can we take some of it back?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya thought for a moment. "Well…" She put her hand on her chin. "Technically, I suppose this stuff all belongs to me anyways. I don't see why not. There's another chest over there, see what you can find in it. I'm gonna go check on the others," She gestured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amara nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya walked down the hallway alone, swaddling the Vault Key piece like a baby. The library was quiet on the inside; even the guards had emptied out when the guns went off. The only noises she heard now were the muffled sounds of commotion outside and the rain. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A wave of guilt washed over Maya when she realized the screaming hadn't stopped when they lost sight of her. Maliwan was probably terrorizing the townsfolk trying to find her. And now that she had Ava, they didn't have a second hope. It was a matter of time before Katagawa gave the OK to just blow half the city up. They didn't really care about the people, just the resources. They wouldn't be targeting an outer ring planet if that was the case.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her guilt turned into bitterness the more she thought about it. Maybe it would be better if they just blew the whole planet up then, to put everybody out of their misery. Maybe </span>
  <em>
    <span>A-H</span>
  </em>
  <span> could drop a few nukes. She knew Hyperion had the tech, they used them all over the place seven years ago. The new CEO must've been too much of a coward to. Did a pretty shit job of re-collecting all the loaders left on Pandora, or getting rid of all the extraction facilities and testing sites. Did a pretty shit job of recalling all the E-tech guns they licensed out, now they're at war ‘cause of it and everybody was suffering. Maya was furious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stormed down the rest of the hallway grumbling to herself. Being mad about everything wasn't gonna change anything unless she did something, but she'd been doing so much already, and things just seemed to be getting worse and worse. If it wasn't for the Vault Key fragment, she would've just called it a failed mission and have everybody retreat. It was a disaster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She felt a small pressure being lifted away from her temples when she got back to Krieg and Ava. He was sitting there so patiently in wait. Maya smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava had moved slightly closer to him to warm up a bit, Krieg was brushing the wet hair out of her face carefully to not touch her bruises. He seemed nervous, and he moved slowly, like he was trying not to scare a small animal. Ava curled her knees into her chest, not looking at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you two getting along?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg stood up when he heard her voice, wobbling a bit and catching his balance. "The cornerstone! How red did it turn your tears?" Krieg stared down at the Vault Key piece. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It was just sitting there, no traps or anything. Just the door," Maya shrugged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg smiled and adjusted his eyepatch slightly so it would re-cover the scars on his cheek. He glanced back at Ava, reassuring himself that she didn't see. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can feel it pricking at my knuckles now! The puzzles are ripe and ready for sorting!" He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We should go now before they figure out our position," Maya said, looking back down the hall to see Amara and the twins carrying armfulls of books, vials and stone tablets. She helped them scan everything into the digistruct.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They sent a distress signal out earlier, Maya. Traunt should be touching down at any moment," Moze said from behind a bookshelf. "We should get the kid out of here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. Maybe just have her fast travel back to the ol' S3. Tannis'll fix her up," Zane suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, wait—" Ava said. "You can't send me up to your base… </span>
  <em>
    <span>alone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I... I've never even been off-world before!" She panicked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya looked down at her. "Would you rather stay alone here and get shot?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, ma'am," Ava squeaked. "I just— I don't wanna be alone."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "You can't stay with us now, it's gonna get dangerous."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava stood up. "I like danger! I could help! I know all the good hiding spots Maliwan will never find—"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you really see those hide-aways perfectly furnished with books and pillows and think you were the first one who ever found them?" Maya bent down to match her eye level.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava went red in the face. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know that was… that was yours." Maya could see her shivering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry about it," Maya said. "Do you have an ECHO device? I'll give you the code," she sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can Krieg come with me?" Ava asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "No."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why not?" Ava persisted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We need him down here," Maya said, looking back at Krieg.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then I'm staying down here with him." Ava crossed her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wh—" Maya was about to argue, but when she thought about it more she decided to let her have her way. "You're a stubborn little girl, aren't you?" She stood back up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava nodded, pleased with herself. She walked slowly over to Krieg, eyeing Maya the whole time like she was afraid she might try reaching out and grabbing her. Ava grabbed Krieg's hand. "You're pretty cool. I like you the best," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya and Krieg locked eyes with each other as a sound escaped Krieg's throat. It sounded a bit like a kettle whistling. He was smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Ava let go of Krieg's hand after that, snapping Maya's attention back to her. She shook her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ow!" She gritted her teeth. "Why did it get so hot?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg jumped away from Ava instinctively, putting his hands up so she couldn't reach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He was all excited is all. People aren't usually as nice to him as you are," Maya said, perplexed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded bashfully. "The sun flares don't stop even if it's raining. My fingers are like hot prongs!" He frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's okay," Ava said. "It didn't hurt that bad."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ground began to rumble and Maya's ears began to ring. There was a large ship passing by overhead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The crackle of a loudspeaker rang through the city.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, alright! Attention, Crimson Lame-asses! This is Captain Traunt of the Maliwan Corporation, here to tell you how totally screwed you are. First of all, you totally violated Maliwan's Athenian Commerce and Trade policy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Uncouth.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Secondly, you're trespassing on Maliwan ground, during a literal war! Like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span>? How stupid do you have to be, man! This shit is so funny. Thirdly, by interrupting a protected Order ritual-slash-rite-slash-ceremony, lying to the patrol guards, and causing major structural destruction and loss of life, you made me and my boys look bad in front of my boss. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Uncalled for.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Fourthly, you suck balls!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of these offences combined adds up to you all being executed for your crimes, publicly. So like, come on out. We know you probably wanna fight, since you're like, stupid Pandorans or whateva', so I, Captain Traunt, personally invite you to a duel. All of you. Anyways, blah blah blah, if you don't accept we're authorized to just start blowing up the whole city with you and all the hippie-dippie cultists inside of it… your call. Peace." There was a loud click. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few moments later, a bomb was dropped. The sounds of people screaming became louder and louder. That coupled with the shaking ground and the loud air traffic above, it was like a hellscape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, what's the plan?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We kill that guy, then leave. He said he wanted a duel. If we win, maybe they'll stop the bombs. If not, then, well… maybe the Order is finally done for once and for all." Maya nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze groaned. "So much for staying under the radar. If we kill him, we're gonna be Maliwan's second biggest target!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So what? The Vault Hunters have always been targeted!" Troy said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I thought that was part of the shtick?" Tyreen nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We can handle it. We've done it before, we'll do it again." Maya crossed her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Has anybody seen Fl4k anywhere?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're kinda missing this whole little pep talk we're having," Amara said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a beeping noise and the cloaking device Fl4k had been using faded away, revealing them to the room. They carried a small, feathered alleycat in their arms. "Sorry, I forgot to turn this thing off. I've been standing here for the past ten minutes," they said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hermes!" Ava shouted, running at Fl4k and scooping the cat into her arms. "I thought I'd never see you again!" She pressed her face into the cat's side, its red eyes glinted as it gazed around the room at everybody.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Great, now that we're all accounted for. Anything else?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"No, ma'am." Troy shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm ready to rip out my cheese-grater!" Krieg clapped his hands together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Missed the feelin' a' beein' a wanted man! I mean like, fresh wanted.. Not 'the bill's been raised so many times over 'tirdy years that no-ones wanting to take the shot,' type wanted. Let's get this on with!" Zane cheered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good, then let's kill ourselves a professional oppressor."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Supernova</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The ground continued to rumble and the bombs continued to drop, so much so that now the library was beginning to collapse. </p>
<p>"Everybody ready?" Maya asked, catching her footing. "I don't want to make any second trips this time." She glanced over to Krieg. </p>
<p>He nodded. </p>
<p>Zane opened the door, letting everybody run out before him before going out last. The building still had some structure to it, but it had been damaged badly. Dido's safe room had been completely obliterated. Maya felt a small pang in her chest knowing that the stuff in there probably would've been useful if she needed to come back. Hopefully Amara and the twins had gotten the best stuff out of there when they had the chance.</p>
<p> Maya put the Vault Key fragment into her bag with Dido's journal and some of the other things she’d snagged along the way. She had wrapped it in Krieg's bandanna so it wouldn't chip so easily if the bag was tossed around. She put it over her shoulder and brought out her gun.</p>
<p>The loudspeaker beeped again. </p>
<p>"Alright! The Crimson jackasses finally decided to come on out, huh? That's cool, that's cool. For me, at least. Cus I got you all surrounded! Booyah!" Traunt said over the P.A.</p>
<p>There were Maliwan soldiers all around them, too many to take on at once. They aimed down sights at them, waiting for a direction. </p>
<p>Ava hid behind Krieg, shivering in the rain. </p>
<p>A loud blast of fire shot up from behind the wall of men, sending a decorated heavy over to them at rocket speed. </p>
<p>"Standby, boys! This shits gonna get cray-zay!" Traunt brandished his guns, showing off two massive elemental cannons he had strapped to his arms. One of the tanks on his back generated cryogenic energy, the other was an incinerator. </p>
<p>Maya glanced back at everybody, hoping they noticed where the man's weak points were. </p>
<p>As soon as the first gun fired, she ran back behind towards Ava and Krieg.</p>
<p>"Look for a break in formation, we need to get Ava out of here," Maya told Krieg.</p>
<p>"The decapitation dance has started! When the end comes, the sun will explode!" Krieg whined.</p>
<p>"I know you wanna fight, but we need to make sure you stay with Ava, and make sure you stay safe. It can't be one way or the other." Maya said, phaselocking one of Traunt's canons for a moment so Amara had time to throw a punch.</p>
<p>"Look out!" Ava pointed up above at a giant ball of ice flying towards them. Krieg picked her up in one hand and pushed Maya out of the way with the other, the ice exploded into shards at his feet, hitting his chest and cutting the skin like broken glass. The ice melted almost instantly as it touched him. </p>
<p>Maya looked up, shaking herself off and scanning the blockade. She reached her hand out and phaselocked a bubble of soldiers. Their guns popped as the elemental batteries were supercharged by the static of Maya's phaselock, choking some of the members with toxic gas and shocking some others with the electric burst. They fell to the ground, leaving a quickly closing hole in the formation.</p>
<p>"Go, Krieg! I'll meet you in the cemetery!" Maya ordered.</p>
<p>Krieg groaned in frustration, but did as he was told, taking Ava and running as fast as he could. Maya distracted the soldiers while he went.</p>
<p>Moze had gotten her Iron Bear digistructed and was going hand to hand with Captain Traunt. Zane had his clone out again. Fl4k's pet jabber had found itself a radiation gun and was blasting wildly at anything that got close to it. Amara was firing at Traunt's fuel tanks. The twins were picking off troopers one by one.</p>
<p>The only thing Maya could really do was keep the blockade away from them as they fought. She could help heal anybody who got hurt and she could phaselock Traunt for a few moments at a time, but shooting would give her too much attention and she'd be overwhelmed.</p>
<p>Amara had hit Traunt's incineration tank dead on with her Tediore pistol reload, and it exploded into a ball of flames, breaking the man's shield. </p>
<p>"God, that's totally not okay! Not cool!" Traunt bellowed. He groaned as his armor became his own furnace, cooking him alive. He had to put the flames out with the other arm. He left himself open.</p>
<p>Maya got an idea. It was risky, but it could work if she focused hard enough.</p>
<p>She put her left arm up, closed her eyes and repeated the words Dido had in her journal.  </p>
<p>Maya's fingers tingled with a powerful sensation, and she felt her markings grow hot again. There was a flash of light, and suddenly each member of the blockade had a phaselock bubble on their heads.</p>
<p>She'd never thoughtlocked so many people at once before; it had to be hundreds, thousands maybe. There was no doubt in Maya's mind that it went beyond the blockade. She could hear so many voices, she could feel almost the entire planet in the back of her eardrums. It buzzed in her head like a swarm of insects, and she had to grit her teeth and keep her eyes closed to concentrate on not losing anybody's focus.</p>
<p>"Attack him," Maya whispered.</p>
<p>The world seemed to shift when she said that, she could feel the footsteps of every soldier, heavy, and blink runner slowly move towards captain Traunt, dead-eyed like a horde of zombies. The chatter in the back of Mayas head ceased completely, and all she heard was the rain. </p>
<p>Then the screaming started again. It was different this time. Now there was only one voice.</p>
<p>"What the— what are you guys doing? Go back into formation! I didn't tell you to— hey, get your hands off the merchandise, you little freak. Stop— stop grabbing at me, it's freaking me out! Stop it! Stop! Agh! Help! Help me!" </p>
<p>Traunt became more and more frantic the more people got on top of him, dismantling his armor, trampling each other in the process, and ripping him apart bit by bit. The sound was worse than the sound of a man simply getting shot, or even getting mauled by an animal. He sounded betrayed, like he didn't understand why they all started turning on him like that. Maya continued to hold onto the pack, listening as the screaming got quieter, and quieter, and quieter. Until it just stopped. </p>
<p>The shuffling of bodies and the patter of rain was all she could hear.</p>
<p>Then there was a ticking noise. A small ticking noise, like a clock going off.</p>
<p>"GET DOWN!" Zane yelled, tackling Maya to the ground and getting her face all dirty. </p>
<p>A loud explosion went off that made Maya’s ears ring, and a wave of freezing cold air washed over her, making her teeth chatter.</p>
<p>Maya opened her eyes to see a large hexa-plate holoshield looming over her, buzzing as its projector worked. She looked around to see the rest of the Vault Hunters, and the twins standing defensively behind her. Moze was down, bleeding from the stomach. Zane crouched over Maya with his gun at the ready, peering out of his shield defensively with a bewildered expression on his face. Maya had never seen him with that expression before.</p>
<p>"What just happened?" Maya asked, standing up slowly.</p>
<p>"Could be askin' you the same damn thing!" Zane said. </p>
<p>"Traunt was ripped to pieces by his own men, then he exploded. Most likely killing them all in the process," Fl4k stated.</p>
<p>"Moze, are you okay?" Maya asked. She put a hand on her shoulder. Moze flinched.</p>
<p>"They didn't even acknowledge I was there," she gritted her teeth. "They pulled Iron Bear apart getting to him, and damn near tore my stomach open getting me out of him." Moze gripped her stomach.</p>
<p>"I can help with that, hold still," Maya said. She phaselocked Moze's wound. </p>
<p>"Fuck!" Moze blurted as her gash was cauterized and healed over in the matter of seconds. The bleeding had stopped, but she was still tender.</p>
<p>"That might leave a scar," Maya said. </p>
<p>Moze nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She breathed. Amara helped her to her feet.</p>
<p>"That was… so cool," Tyreen said.</p>
<p>"So cool!" Troy echoed.</p>
<p>"That was you right, Maya?" Amara asked, wide eyed.</p>
<p>Maya nodded. "I think so."</p>
<p>"What'd it feel like?" Tyreen asked.</p>
<p>"Can we do something like that?" Troy asked as well.</p>
<p>Tyreen elbowed him. </p>
<p>"Maya?" Amara whispered.</p>
<p>Maya swallowed really hard and looked down at her hands. "We can talk about it later. In private," she said.</p>
<p>The twins began chattering to each other inaudibly, looking at Maya in awe and giggling with each other like gossip hounds. Maya sighed.</p>
<p>Zane took his shield down when the fog had settled a bit, clearing his throat and shoving the projector into a pouch clipped to his belt. "Are we done here? I need a few drinks. Maybe catch some more of that pink powder before we go for safe keepin'!" He laughed. </p>
<p>Maya nodded. "We have to meet with Krieg and Ava in the cemetery. Follow me."</p>
<p><br/>The city was quiet now. The lights had gone out and the bombs had stopped. Nobody was yelling. As they passed by houses Maya could catch quick glimpses of people boarding up windows, slamming doors. It was such a stark contrast to how it was hours earlier. There wasn't a living Maliwan officer in sight. Just their corpses.</p>
<p>Maya walked calmly, unsure of how she felt about the whole ordeal. She supposed she should've felt a little remorseful, but if she was honest with herself, she almost felt a little proud. Her training had paid off.</p>
<p>They had reached the cemetery. A thick sheet of fog covered the entire yard now, making everything seem more ghostly and isolating.</p>
<p>"Krieg?" Maya called out gently. </p>
<p>"Halt! You're trespassing on sacred ground! Turn back or I’ll—" a voice called out, but it was just Ava. She sat atop one of the headstones with a Maliwan SMG in her hand. As soon as she realized who was there, she hid it behind her back. "Oh, it's just you." She smiled nervously.</p>
<p>"Where'd you get that?" Maya asked.</p>
<p>"Borrowed it from a dead guy," Ava said. "They're all over the place."</p>
<p>"My teeth hadn't pierced the skin yet." Krieg poked his head out of the fog. He was sitting underneath the headstone, waiting.</p>
<p>"Everybody just kinda… dropped," Ava muttered.</p>
<p>"Sapphire starlight’s moonbeam. The hearts of an army could be nailed to a stake!" Krieg nodded slowly. He stood up, walking over to Maya and grabbing her hand. He ran his fingers over her markings. "Damn! I'd hoped the rest of the juice would singe me just a little more." He chuckled. </p>
<p>"We can go now," Maya said, calmly.</p>
<p>"You're a supernova, I'm the dwarf star," Krieg said. </p>
<p>"Do you know what happened, big guy?" Maya asked. </p>
<p>"A mind-shattering cataclysm! Man was stripped of the soul! There's no better heaven than in your heart. Take me, too," Krieg said. </p>
<p>Maya laughed. "No, no. I like you too much. It would be a shame," she said.</p>
<p>"Ugh! Are you guys gonna kiss? Please don't kiss. I already feel like I'm gonna puke. If you kiss, I'll definitely puke," Ava groaned.</p>
<p>Krieg blushed.</p>
<p>"Alright alright. Let's head back. We need to tell Lilith about this," Maya sighed. </p>
<p><br/>Back on the S3, Maya had Ava go directly to Tannis for first aid. Her eye has swelled up quite a bit and her face was bruised badly. Her nose was broken. Maya was a bit surprised she hadn't reacted more to it. Perhaps it was the adrenaline.</p>
<p>Tannis didn't like children, they disturbed her. Maya knew this already. She didn't really have another option though, Lilith was expecting a call. Ava seemed uncomfortable around her anyways. </p>
<p>"I thought you said that this would be a quick mission. Why'd I just receive a notice from Maliwan asking to call back a military assault on Athenas? And why does it say you and Krieg are at large for kidnapping? What'd he do?"  The large hologram of Lilith loomed over the navigation center, crossing her arms and tapping her foot like a disappointed parent.</p>
<p> Krieg flinched when she'd gotten to the 'what did he do' part of the lecture, instinctively putting his head to the side to think about what he'd done. He really had to think about this one, 'cause he couldn't remember if he even did do anything wrong this time.</p>
<p>Maya frowned. "No, it's me. It's my fault! I lost it." Maya sighed. "We picked up a refugee. Maliwan has nobody on Athenas now anyways. There was nobody left," she said.</p>
<p>"What do you mean ‘nobody left’?" Lilith froze.</p>
<p>"When did the distress signal go out?" Maya asked.</p>
<p>"A few hours ago from Captain Traunt. Why?"</p>
<p>"About thirty minutes ago I wiped out Maliwan's entire Athenas division, including Captain Traunt. Just, everybody. I don't think the citizens have direct access to the rest of the management; Maliwan wouldn't want them knowing what their reason for being there was. Unless the higher ups have already been notified, we should be in the clear. For now at least," Maya said.</p>
<p>Lilith went quiet for a moment. "You didn't happen to get into any eridium, did you? I didn't think they had it off-world…" She mumbled.</p>
<p>"No, but there was this book with like… spells in it. I think it was written by my predecessor. A Siren who had the same markings as me, they're all over it," Maya said. "With this book, I don't need eridium. I can just stick my hand out, and think about what I want done, and it just… happens," Maya explained. "I had the entire division under my control all at the same time. I think I made their hearts stop or something, they all dropped at once. I've never felt anything like it before. Just silence." </p>
<p>Lilith nodded. "You never have been able to use eridium… I wonder why." She put her hand on her chin. "Maya, I have a feeling whatever was in that book just unlocked something big in you. If it was written by another Siren, especially. Be careful with it. I remember when I first started using eridium, I'd be sick for hours afterwards. But, I don't know if that was the rock itself or just the energy going to my head. Still though, this is big," Lilith said.</p>
<p>Maya nodded. "Super big." She breathed. </p>
<p>"You got the Vault Key fragment though, right? That puts us back on track. You should be ready to head to Promethea now. If you have problems with Maliwan now, contact me. Understand? We can't do this again. We'll have a target on us," Lilith said.</p>
<p>"Yes, Commander," Maya said. "What do we do about the kid? We can't keep her here." </p>
<p>Krieg looked back up.</p>
<p>"That's really up to you guys. Don't bring her back here though, Pandora's no place for a kid. Especially a refugee. Poor thing." Lilith sighed. "I'll have somebody start looking into fostering in one of the inner ring planets. She could still have a decent life, I think. How old did you say she was?" </p>
<p>"We don't know," Maya said. "She's like a tween though, probably around twelve."</p>
<p>"Same age Tina was when Roland found her then, huh. You're right, I don't feel good leaving her on board with everybody. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, just keep her well for a while. Don't let her in the bar, y'know. I dunno, have her read a book or something." Lilith shrugged.</p>
<p>Maya sighed. "Alright, thanks Lil. We'll be on it." </p>
<p>"Other than that, everything should be set for Promethea. You guys stopped for fuel?" Lilith persisted. </p>
<p>Maya nodded. </p>
<p>"Also, Axton wanted me to tell you to bring him a souvenir. Maybe like a relic or something." Lilith said. </p>
<p>Maya nodded again. </p>
<p>"Don't let those twins scramble you up too much either, okay? You've got them beat by a long shot." </p>
<p>Maya raised her eyebrows. "What?" She asked.</p>
<p>"You're my right hand man, not them. They might try to act all smart, but I know you know what's best. I trust you, Maya. You're doing good," Lilith said.<br/> <br/>Maya nodded. "Thank you, Commander."</p>
<p>"I'm saying that as a friend, by the way. I'm proud of you."</p>
<p>"Thank you, Lilith." </p>
<p>Lilith smiled. "I'll talk to you later. Signing off."</p>
<p>The projector clicked and she was gone.</p>
<p><br/>Maya turned around to look at Krieg. She grimaced. "What, does she think I'm just running an orphanage here? I don't want this kid with us!" She pulled her bangs back. "The twins have been driving me nuts, Krieg. Now I have to deal with this kid— she's been so brainwashed that i don't even know if she knows what's going on right now. She won't even look me in the eye! Like, seriously? It's been years since I left that place, they've totally destroyed my image! What do I look like, some kind of matriarch?" She paused.</p>
<p>"I don't want you to answer that last part." She shook her head. "I'm just frustrated. This isn't how I was expecting things to go. I guess it's karma." </p>
<p>Krieg let out a sigh. Maya went to sit with him.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry you had to do that back there, bud. I know you don't like it. Nobody's mad at you. It's my fault." Maya grabbed his hand. </p>
<p>"I'd throw myself in front of a thousand freight trains before I'd let you bear this cross." Krieg grumbled. "Your pressure exhilarates me, not the other way. I'll feed the baby, you ride the chariot," he said.</p>
<p>Maya smiled. "I'm glad you have my back, at least. Somebody actually listens to me around here." She sighed, leaning into him. "You needed a shower, anyways. The rain was good for you." Maya chuckled.</p>
<p>"I feel like an eel in a bucket of bovine trimmings!" Krieg squirmed. </p>
<p>"Let's go change, get clean. I wanna hear you play that piano again, sound good?" Maya asked. Krieg nodded.</p>
<p>"We should check on Ava. I need to get her hair cut before she goes out again. If the kidnapping thing got past the Captain then people are gonna be looking for her." Maya said. Krieg nodded again.</p>
<p>"And then we go to Promethea and finish putting together that Vault Key. And open the Vault. Then I can finally give you your gift. We'll go home happy, get the kid to a nice family in the inner ring, send the twins off to bother somebody else, then I swear," Maya sighed.  "I'll never be able to keep my lips off you!" She giggled. "We can take it easy for a while. We'll renovate the apartment, maybe even build a house. And we'll have a whole library there, and a room for your piano, and we can make a garden together. How's that sound?" Maya closed her eyes.</p>
<p>"Blissful." Krieg's voice hummed in his throat.</p>
<p>Maya nodded.</p>
<p>"But, first things first. Let's get you cleaned off. You smell like radioactive fluid and sweat." Maya laughed. "I mean that in the most loving way possible."</p>
<p>Krieg laughed along with her as they went to the shower.</p>
<p>They both smelled like a whole power plant explosion mixed with salty rain and blood, and they were wanted for crimes punishable by public execution. But, it was too late to stop now; the S3 was already on its way to Promethea, and these two needed a shower. Desperately.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Intimacy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning for sexual content this chapter :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Maya waited for the water to get warm, awkwardly standing with one hand out and a small, white towel clasped in the other, doing her best to cover herself up. The showers on the S3 were public, they didn't even have time to buy curtains yet. The only thing blocking her from the door was the wall dividing the bathroom from the shower. Maya prayed it didn't use the same water.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg was sitting on the floor behind her, watching the door like a hawk. He hadn't undressed completely yet, still fiddling with his damp arm bandages and taking his socks off. He had this aura about him that gave Maya the vibe that he didn't really mind being in the nude, he always had… but, at the same time he was very self conscious. It was strange. He was strange. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you even think we have hot water in here?" Maya wondered aloud. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hack or slash, it all spills out the same," Krieg said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya nodded in mutual agreement. "Could you help me out with this, big guy?" She asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg grunted, kicking off his sock and standing up. He held his arm out through the cold water and wrapped his fist around the pipe. Steam began to seep from his arm where the water hit him, making Maya's eyes water. There was a sharp whistling noise, like a kettle boiling, and then a pop. The water gradually began to heat up until it got almost too hot to stand in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright, I think that's good. We don't wanna melt it," Maya smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg took his hand away, revealing that the pipe had gone bright red from the heat, and was slightly indented in the shape of his fingers.  He smiled, proud of himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"It should stay hot for a little while at least. You can warm it up again if we get cold." Maya nodded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Let's get sudsy!" Krieg laughed, almost slipping. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya held him up, putting her hands on his collarbone. "Careful!" She laughed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg tilted his head up, letting the water run in his face for a while and letting out a small sigh. He put his hands up to his cheeks and began rubbing his face with the palms of his hands, scrubbing almost until his face was bright red… well, half of it was. The other half was purple-ish.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You should probably use soap. Here, I'll help you." Maya grabbed one of her bottles and dabbed some out in the palm of her hand. "I got the sensitive skin kind so it wouldn't irritate you." She smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg bent over slightly so she coulld cup his head in her hands. She gently spread the soap onto his face, being careful not to be too rough on his scars. His eye was closed and his lips were pursed like he was holding his breath. Maya worked her way up the bridge of his nose and to his forehead, running her fingers across his brow and over his temples.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You should unclench your jaw, big guy. I can feel how tense it is." Maya said softly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg let out a puff of hot air right onto Maya's neck, sending goosebumps up her spine. The pressure in his temples faded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Good. That should help with your headaches and stuff too," She said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Am I being a good little </span>
  <em>
    <span>baby kills-a-lot</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" Krieg asked playfully.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya giggled. "Maybe not </span>
  <em>
    <span>little," </span>
  </em>
  <span>she joked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg stood up straighter again, rinsing his head off and opening his mouth in the water, swishing it around like mouthwash.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I wouldn't drink it," Maya said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg swallowed anyways. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya sighed. "Oh well," she said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She turned around to pick up her shampoo, pulling her hair out of her face and completely soaking it in the water. Krieg stepped back a little so she could have more room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya leaned back against him, lathering the shampoo into her hair until the suds ran down her back right in between her shoulder blades, getting all over Krieg's chest in the process. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg slowly moved his hands up, putting them on Maya's waist, barely touching her. It was enough. He inhaled deeply. The shampoo Maya used smelled like lavender and fresh cotton.  A smile spread across his face. "Paint my nostrils all the colors of the night sky," Krieg sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You like it?" Maya asked, reaching up and swiping his nose with a finger full of soap.  He blew upwards with his bottom lip, sending bubbles floating everywhere. Maya laughed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She rinsed her hair off and washed her face, then she got under her arms and cleaned her feet and legs. Krieg was helping her hold all the different products. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once she was done with herself, it was his turn. The water was beginning to go cold again, though.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Here, I can take that stuff now," Maya said, putting her hands against his. "Can you heat up the water again? Just a little this time." She took some of the bottles, setting them on the floor next to the shower. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg nodded, putting his hand around a different part of the pipe, for a shorter amount of time. The water was comfortable.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Thanks, big guy. Let me see your arms now," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't get my marble finish scuffed." Krieg shivered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Don't worry, I'll be gentle like I was with your eye. That didn't hurt, right?" She assured him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg nodded and held out his left arm; the scars there were as deep as the ones on his face, making his skin look like it was twisted around with a whisk and dried in place. The patches of withered skin were discolored the same as his face was, faint purple from the slag they injected there. His left arm had two tubes going into the inner side of his arm right through the vein, like an IV. They connected up into his backside near his neck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya had always wondered what they were there for, but she had always assumed it had to do with the experiments he went through. His skin was more sensitive in these areas than at any other place on his body besides his groin. Just touching him on those parts sent chills down his entire body, and if you pressed down harder it hurt him. She'd know because the color would get brighter, and Krieg's body temperature would pick up. Even if he didn't say anything she was still careful. She had noticed it years ago; it was similar to how her tattoos glowed when she used her powers, except it was more painful looking. His skin would twitch and he'd start blowing steam from his nose. It wasn't pretty.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya ran her hands down the inside of his arm gently, carefully avoiding the tubes as to not tug on them. She lightly washed his arm, making sure not to scrub so hard closest to his inner elbow. He could get his armpits himself. She did the same to his right arm, washing it down to his fingertips. She only did that part so she could hold his hand. Krieg didn't pick up on it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He rinsed off and washed under his arms, and he got his shoulders. He couldn't reach his back though.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Here," Maya said. "I got it."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She spun him around and had him crouch a bit so she could reach the back of his neck. She washed the back of his head first, taking his necklace off for a second to wash his neck better. She was careful again around the tubes. Maya's heart skipped a beat looking at Krieg's backside. The way the water rolled down his muscles made him glisten in the fluorescent light. She could feel his heartbeat surge through his body as she touched him, she moved her hands along with his breathing pattern. His back was so tense.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"There we go. All clean," Maya said after a while. Krieg looked back at her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Already? We've barely done any tenderizing!" He frowned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ohhh, you want me to rub your shoulders?  Why didn't you say so? Here, move down more. Maybe kneel, I can reach you better that way," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg made a little satisfied noise as he went down, practically melting into Maya's hands as she kneaded his shoulders. She really had to work on him to do anything. He was stiff.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Aah...</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Krieg moaned, turning his head to the side and cracking his neck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya laughed. "You really need </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> to do this? Somebody's gonna come in here and think we're doing something."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"How?" Krieg giggled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You know," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up at her, pressing his head into her stomach. "How bad would it be? Would we walk the plank? Would you cry?" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What do you want to do, exactly?" Maya asked him, quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Mmmm… just a taste. I could hold her. Soft. I could fasten my hands on them… nothing more… but love." Krieg closed his eye blissfully as Maya massaged him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright." Maya smiled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg rolled his shoulders and held his arm back for Maya to pull on. His back cracked and he let out a satisfied grunt. He stood back up and leaned back against the wall. Maya took his hands and moved closer to him so that the shower covered them both. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Are you nervous?" Maya asked him. "You got me all excited," she sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head. "How come you let me see you this close?" He asked quietly. His eye was all soft and cloudy looking.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I dunno." Maya mumbled. "You don't let anyone else see your face except for me, what's the difference?" She asked him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It took him a second. He nodded slowly, finally understanding it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"But, do you hate mirrors as much as I do? That man always stares me down… I'd kill him with my bare hands if I met him in the flesh." Krieg grumbled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"No. I don't think so. Sometimes I do. But it's not really about that, I don't think. I think maybe it's more like I trust you. You're always nice with me, you treat me better than anybody ever has in my whole life. I feel comfortable with you touching me like that. That's it, really. It's because I love you. Ever since day one." Maya put her hands on his shoulders. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I think it's the same. It's 'cus I love you." Krieg nodded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"By the way," Maya smiled. "I think you should be a little nicer on that reflection. You're such a dreamboat." She giggled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg blushed. "Nuh—" He shook his head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, you are. So chiseled! Nice bone structure. Puppy-dog eyes." Maya sighed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg looked away bashfully. "Only 'cus you love me," he said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Maybe. But that's still how I see it. Am I wrong?" She asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head. "She's never wrong…"  he mumbled. "Oh… she's never wrong!" He put his hands up to his face. "By the wings flapping in my chest, or the peafowl bickering in my head, strike me down! I'm such a fool, yearning to be touched and touched and touched again, do I deserve it even? Or are you just crying over me like a babe!? No… she wouldn't. The clock has spun all the way around too many times to count. I've run out of calendar pages! You're a master at party tricks, you've made salt into sugar and water set ablaze! Always there, waiting for my skinned knees to kiss my boo-boos and tell me I'm a good boy. You could've taken me down ages ago. I can't help you… and you still let </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>lay my filthy mitts upon your holy breast. I'm a dog. Kick me," Krieg whined. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You've done more for me than I think you realize," Maya said. "It doesn't need to make sense why. I'll always care about you like this. You just keep being you." She smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ooh!" Krieg bellowed, tossing his head to the side and grabbing his heart dramatically. "May I?" He asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya nodded. She closed her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He kissed her softly, like he was afraid she would pull back. She realized he wasn't usually the one initiating these things. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She felt his hands wrap around her waist again, slowly moving down her back until her behind was perfectly in his hands. He was warm, his grip was firm. He moved his head down, and pulled Maya up against him until he had his face in her chest. He stood there for a while, just taking it all in. Maya stroked his head while he did it, cooing him and giving him kisses. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He put his mouth on her, kissing her and giving her hickeys. He was careful not to bite down very hard. His teeth were sharp.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya's heart was throbbing in the back of her throat now, every time he kissed her she felt like she was being electrified. Her stomach felt tight and her nose felt hot like she was going to cry. She held his head in closer to her, feeling as his tongue cascaded across her chest. His saliva was hot, and his teeth would brush her skin every so often. She squeaked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could feel him smiling against her, giggling softly every time she made a noise. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"How sweet." He whispered. His hot breath warmed her more than the shower ever could. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Maya froze. So did Krieg, mid nipple suck. His lips were still puckered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Footsteps tracked loudly towards one of the toilets, along with that came a loud whistle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Zane had to piss.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was probably the second most awkward situation Maya had ever been in; the first was Claptrap's seventh birthday party. She could hear him do everything, all the while Krieg was still hanging off of her like a hungry infant. Krieg, meanwhile, looked like a deer caught in headlights.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The toilet flushed and the water pressure dropped dramatically, the pipes began to make this horrible squeaking noise like nails on a chalkboard. Then the sink turned on and Zane washed his hands. He was still whistling as he went to leave. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Right before shutting the door again, he announced loudly, "By the way, next time if yeh wanna have a tug at each other, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> do it in the privacy of yer own room. I don't appreciate the listenin' of me making wee. Uncomfortable as </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell.</span>
  </em>
  <span> 'Tanks!" </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then the door shut.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya looked down at Krieg. Krieg looked up at Maya. They were both dumbfounded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"We're gonna walk the plank!" Krieg's voice cracked as he whispered, wide-eyed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya snorted. "No, we're okay. Let's finish up though." She blushed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg nodded and stood back up, letting out a nervous sigh.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya turned off the water and wrapped herself up in the towel she brought. It only really covered her front side and it had gotten wet. The bathroom was a lot colder than she remembered when they first walked in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you have—" she looked back at Krieg, who was beginning to dry himself off with his own damp sock, undoing pretty much all the cleaning maya had just done for him. "Course not. Don't… don't put that on your face." She cringed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg stopped. Locking eyes with her and lowering the sock. "I forgot to bring a skin-mop," he said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya sighed. "I know."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was gonna have to go to the quick change and get some clean clothes for both of them, their old stuff probably had to be thrown away. Maya sighed, bracing herself for the run down the lobby, she hoped nobody was at the poker table right now. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>prayed</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya ran down the hallway, clutching the towel as close to her as humanly possible, hair standing straight on end because of the cold. She ran, dripping, to the quick change station and digistructed her loungewear onto her as fast as she could. Man, it felt good to wear some sweatpants. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She let out a sigh of relief and wrapped her hair up in her towel. She then logged out of her profile and then back into Krieg's to get his stuff. He had a lot of stuff in there, mostly pants in various shades of orange and different objects he found interesting enough to keep digi scanned. There were even a couple different masks to choose from. There was something else there though; the pajamas he'd gotten for Mercenary Day seven years ago. Maya was surprised he still kept them. She raised her eyebrows, pressing the button and letting them digistruct in her hands.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I wonder if he even still fits in these," Maya said aloud. "Can't hurt to try." She walked back to the bathroom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knocked on the door before letting herself in, keeping the pajamas low.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Hey big guy, I found something in your digistruct bank." Maya called out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg peeked his head around the corner. "She bears gifts a plenty!" He exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya laughed. "Remember these?" She held up the pajamas. "I thought they might be comfy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Mm… the fabric cage is no friend to my nipples." He narrowed his eye.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Ok… how's the pants though, they seem pretty big. Plenty of room for… for uhm… y'know." Maya blushed, looking down at his manhood. "Sorry I blue balled you, by the way," she said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Mhm." Krieg grunted. "Popeye killed the mood before the blood started pumping." </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maya nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>"So, pants or no pants?" She asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg nodded. "Silky." He grinned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She tossed the pajama pants to him, accidentally hitting him in the face. Krieg laughed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I brought new bandages and a clean eye patch and mask for you too. If you want, though. Maybe it would be good to let it air out for a while?" She offered, raising her eyebrows. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head at her as he hopped into his pajama pants. "Mummy wrap me, mommy." He chuffed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, thought so. It was worth a shot." Maya sighed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She helped wrap his arms up and tighten his waistband. She tied the eyepatch snugly around his head and he put the bottom half of his mask on. There was a pair of pink bunny slippers that came with the pajamas also, he had no other footwear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was certainly an outfit!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Is it comfy?" Maya asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Krieg turned around, moving his hips and stretching his legs out, he bent his elbows a few times to see if the bandages were too tight. "As cozy as a corpse in a grave!" He laughed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Good, good." Maya smiled. "You look cute." She laughed. She could tell he was smiling too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Alright, let's go deal with everybody else. The sooner we get done with that, the sooner we can pick up where we left off. Sound good?" Maya linked her arm with his.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Every second I spend with you is serotonin injected through the skull; we go wherever you want to." He swung his arm back and forth, holding her hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"I'm glad I make you happy," Maya said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Only 'cuz I love you so much!" Krieg laughed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Who am I to say your feelings are wrong," Maya sighed.  "I love you too, big guy. So very, very much." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Her Tough Little Pistachio Shell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ava sat pitifully in the infirmary with her face bandaged up and her dress tattered and dirty. She held an ice pack up to her eye and her nose was full of tissue. Tannis was staring at her, wide-eyed and cautious. She flinched every time Ava moved even the slightest bit as if she was scared of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a knock on the door before it slid up, hissing as the cold air inside the infirmary mixed with the warmer air in the rest of the ship. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey guys, just checking in. How's it going in here?" Maya peeked in, wearing a sweatshirt and plaid pants with her hair up in a towel. She had a bruise on her neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava flinched when she heard her voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine," she said nasally. "I'm totally fine." She paused. "Where's Hermes?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fl4k is looking at him right now. He had a lot of fleas on him." Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She walked into the room past Ava to speak with Tannis. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you alright? She didn't bite you or anything, right?" Maya kept her voice hushed. She was mostly joking. She knew Tannis was a bit skiddish.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, no. She did start crying though. I do not like crying. Or children. And the danger that is those two factors combining. But, I managed to patch her up. But, being a child, her mucus and tears and any other facial fluid is probably already soaking the bandages. As much as I'd like to assist you, Maya, I don't want to waste supplies." Tannis giggled nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's alright. Krieg and I can handle it from here. Did the twins show you what we found on Athenas?"  Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tannis nodded. "I've been dying to get my hands on it!" She licked her lips. "Now that we have this piece of the Vault Key there's only two more left to find! And if it's anything like what the twins have mentioned, that means Typhon DeLeon himself couldn't seem to open it. This could end in two ways: we open the vault, slay the monster inside and I get to have more Eridian samples, all while now being able to say I bested Typhon DeLeon, or we never find the piece and die trying. Oh, this is exhilarating!" She rubbed her hands together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Pardon me, but the first thing you said… you </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Krieg? Does he know first aid?" Tannis blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya sighed. "Ava only lets me near her when he's around. She's scared of me," she whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tannis nodded slowly. "A traumatized child will gravitate towards large adults if they know they're on their side. She's most likely trying to replace the feeling of having a parent to look up to." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya glanced back to see Krieg sitting with Ava, gently rubbing her back as she leaned against him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe it's wrong of me…" Maya mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"For what?" Tannis asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've been wondering ever since we found her. Nobody's ever taken to him so fast. Not even me. I shot at him the first time we met. She seems totally at ease around him," Maya whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you're wondering…?" Tannis raised her eyebrows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How come she's so afraid of me, but seems completely comfortable around him?" Maya wondered aloud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think you might be forgetting something, Maya." Tannis chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're a Siren, remember? She grew up being taught that if she was bad, you would manifest in front of her to punish her. She was supposed to be your successor. Now she knows you're actually real. On top of that, you killed a lot of people down there, or so I'm told. Most children off Pandora aren't as exposed to acts of violence like we are," Tannis said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah... Yeah, but Krieg…" Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She sees him as her bodyguard. You wouldn't hurt him, so by equivalence you wouldn't hurt her," Tannis stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "Awh… that's kind of sweet, actually." She smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is?" Tannis blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's always wanted to have a kid. I didn't ever think we were ready though. Maybe this will be good for him for a little while, to get it out of his system." Maya looked back at the two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tannis frowned. "Please do not take offense to this, but you two would be terrible parents," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "I know. She's only gonna be here until we get that Vault open, though. Lilith is looking for foster families in the inner rings as we speak." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're gonna put me in foster care?" Ava stood up suddenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Eventually," Maya said. "We don't have time right now though, so you're stuck here with us. Hey, the more well behaved you are, the faster you can get out of here." She grinned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmph. Yes ma'am." Ava crossed her arms and sat back down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good. Now, we need to change this look you have going on," Maya said while stepping closer to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava jumped back. "Wh— what do you mean?" She said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're being looked for right now. If we take you down to Promethea or any rest stops on the way there and somebody sees you we could be in trouble. I'm guessing you don't have a quick change account," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, ma'am. All of my stuff is on Athenas still," Ava whined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm gonna have to cut your hair," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Ava blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Relax, I'm good at it. I've been doing my own hair for years now," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Your bangs are uneven," Ava stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was in a rush." Maya glared. "Besides, I'll take my time with your hair. I'm still worried about your head." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Worried?" Ava blinked, rubbing the back of her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Concussed to the other realm, rubble and earth and glass fell over closed eyes," Krieg spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava looked to Maya for interpretation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You had a concussion. I think I fixed it though," Maya explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava nodded slowly. "No wonder why I can't remember what I had for breakfast." She laughed nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That means you need to tell me if it hurts when I wash your hair, okay?" Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava went quiet again. "What if I don't want my hair cut?" She mumbled </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then I'm sorry. It's gotta happen. This is to protect you," Maya stated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come on, let's get it over with," Maya said, gesturing to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava looked back at Krieg for a moment before getting up and following Maya to the sink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya was careful with Ava's hair, gently massaging the shampoo into her scalp and down through her long indigo locks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When did you have it cut last?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A few years ago. I used to have it real short. The monks wanted me to grow it out," Ava murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded in solidarity. "They did that to me too. I hadn't gotten it cut since I was an infant, as soon as I left I just chopped everything off. It was like a weight was lifted off of me," she sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava stayed quiet as Maya finished washing her hair. She laid a towel around Ava's neck, sat her up, parted her hair, then moved to get her scissors and comb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava took in a deep breath, spacing out for a moment. Maya moved back to her, brushing her hair a bit before cutting it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as the first bunch of hair fell to the floor, Ava began to cry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fat tears rolled down her face as Maya cut, uncontrollably pouring from her eyes as she wept quietly. Soft whimpers escaped her throat every time she heard the scissors snip, and feel her hair falling down on her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's alright, it'll be over soon," Maya whispered gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She cut away more of Ava's hair. The room was dead silent besides Ava's crying and Maya awkwardly trying to comfort her, Tannis especially seemed uncomfortable. No dialogue could be spoken with a climate like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You should've left me back there," Ava whimpered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya paused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Every time a lamb is born, another's parents are left to the butcher. Every time a chicken escapes the coop, two more are the farmer's dinner. Every bovine that milks, her husband is made into glue. Babies who weep and have no mother and mothers who fall to infanticide: baked into sweetbread or left to rot in the hands of the steel lined crib that hates them. It all depends on nothing! When we writhe, who answers but the devil? When we hunger, who cooks but the cannibals? When we cry, who swaddles but the orphans? There's no rhyme or reason to this part! Grubs are worms until their shell develops a sheen. An actor is a man until the camera takes their soul. A god is a mortal until it's crucified. A saint is a sinner until they are martyred." Krieg stood up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Bullshit!" Ava sobbed. "They told me everything happened for a reason! They told me I was special! That I would be great! I should be dead right now! This is wrong!" She cried out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When did you lose your parents?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava went silent again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When did they start telling you these things? Did they start it right after or did you have time to grieve? They played with you, kid. They lied to you. Do you really think you deserved it? You're just a kid," Maya retorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm bad," Ava whimpered. "I steal things! I curse! I lie!" She listed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> think you deserved it?" Maya repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know," Ava said. "Everything has changed so fast… I don't know. I don't know anything. I'm scared. I want… I wanna go home. I wanna wake up. This is all just a nightmare, right? This is just because I'm stressed about the ceremony tomorrow right? I wanna wake up. I wanna go back." Ava cried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg knelt down in front of her, taking her hands and holding onto them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm so sorry," he whispered slowly. "If I said you'd wake up… I'd lie. I don't wanna lie to a kid. You can't… you can't go home. I'm sorry." </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ava sat there in silence, holding onto his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya finished cutting her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After it was done drying, Maya showed it to her. It was very short now. She had side swept bangs and hair shorter than her ears. It fit the shape of her face well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is it okay?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good. Now let's get you into some clean clothes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a bit hard to find something that would fit her, but eventually they did. It wasn't much, just a grey sweatshirt and some clean socks. Her pants were dry at least. They'd have to get her new clothes somewhere later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava was tired. She hadn't spoken since her hair was cut and Maya was beginning to feel frustrated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn't help if she couldn't communicate. She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't sleep. She just sat there, quietly holding Hermes against her chest, stroking his feathers gently as he purred.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya and Krieg had been watching her for a while now, just observing what she was doing. They were both peeking around the corner of the room at the same time. If Krieg slipped, he'd probably land right on top of Maya. She could feel the warmth on her back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pulled away for a moment, drawing Maya's attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is it, big guy?" Maya whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A query for the little one. I can't put all the pieces together on my own!" Krieg said, hushed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just go ask. It seemed like she understood what you were saying earlier. We can practice first, if you want." Maya suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pretty lady should deliver it with the same smoothness like olive oil on a baby's behind. Inoffensive and soft. If I slipped my mouth would come undone and she'd run away and never come back," he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"She doesn't trust me like she does you. She probably won't even talk to me," Maya replied. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg tilted his head. "I'll push you closer, then." He rolled his shoulders. Maya could tell he was thinking of something. She didn't know what. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine. What do you want me to ask her though?" Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg rubbed his hands together and put his head to Maya's ear, whispering to her. Maya nodded accordingly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stopped. "Aww, big guy. That's so sweet… she'll like that, I think. I'll ask." Maya smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg put a finger up to his mask like he was shushing her, then tried to wink. It didn't really look like a wink, because he only had one eye, but Maya could tell because of the way he moved his head to the side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had this look about him that made her heart get all bubbly on the inside. He was cute.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Ava," Maya peeked around the corner, ignoring the girl's flinch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanted to ask you something. Can I sit with you for a second?" Maya smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava looked up. Maya took that as a yes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sat down next to her, startling Hermes and making him jump off the bed. He hissed, his newly clean white feathers stood up on his back and he walked sideways to make himself look bigger. Maya looked down at him, unamused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hermes fixed his posture and bolted underneath the bunk bed. He must've understood her body language.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think he likes me." Maya raised her eyebrows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He doesn't like anybody but me. Back home, I'd sic him on the Maliwan guards when I'd sneak out at night… I saw him drop a guy in like, five minutes. It was wild." Ava snickered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fl4k had an easy time with him though." Maya nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, Fl4k's a robot. It doesn't count."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You like robots?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah sure, I dunno. Why? I didn't take anything if that's what you're getting at!" She blurted defensively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, no. Just wondering. I wanna know what your interests are. Y'know, besides stealing stuff and getting on my nerves." Maya huffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava shrugged. "Why does it matter what I like?" She groaned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya frowned. "Cus, if you keep sitting there looking miserable all the time you're gonna make everybody else in a bad mood too. Faster you tell me, the faster I'll leave you alone to sulk. Sound like a deal?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmpf." Ava crossed her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya waited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I had a garden back home. I grew little bonsai trees. Some of them had berries growing on the branches," Ava mumbled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded, taking a mental note of what she was saying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I like collecting old electronic stuff. I found this flatscreen tablet thing a few years ago and I had been messing around with it for a while. I got the speakers on it working and the camera and I downloaded this thing on it from this like, off-branch of the ECHOnet that let me play this digital keyboard. It was pretty cool." She continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya gave a quick look to Krieg at the other side of the room to make sure he was paying attention. He put his hands up to his head like he was surprised and nodded quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you make music?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sometimes. I mostly just play around with the keys. I don't really know how to play anything. I like listening to stuff though. All the music we got on the radios was from Promethea and like, wherever else Maliwan was picking up from. I couldn't understand most of it," Ava recalled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Interesting. Well, I'll leave you alone for a while now. You should come down to eat soon, though." Maya stood up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Also," she paused. "I don't think it's the best idea for you to stay in here. I mean to sleep, that is. Now is fine, but um… I'd like some privacy when I sleep," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a bunk bed." Ava blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I already share a room," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh." Ava nodded quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's tons of beds on board, I'll find you something. In the meantime though, I'll just uh… let you do whatever you wanna do." Maya sighed and left the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg grabbed her hands as soon as the door closed behind her. He wanted to thank her. He just sorta squeezed her hands a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya smiled and nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you gonna play her though? You don't really listen to  Lpop," she asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shrugged. He hadn't gotten that far yet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You guys got a lot in common, it seems like." Maya giggled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg snorted. "You're a foul liar, miss pretty," he remarked</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm being serious! It's kind of funny. She's barely been around you for a day and she's already taking after you." Maya laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head. "She needs better acquaintances. No apostle of mine actually should look to me. Do as I wouldn't do, say what I wouldn't say. It's the better-ance of mind, body and soul."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya sighed. "I think you're too hard on yourself."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg grunted and went down the hall. He turned the corner and Maya instantly began to hear the sound of piano keys coming from Moxxi's bar. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya went after him, not to argue, but to listen to him play.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sat patiently, listening to him play the same piece over and over again. Maybe he was lost in it, or he was convinced there was a technique he hadn't gotten right. Though, it was obvious to anybody listening that he was a master of the craft. She wondered why he kept playing that same bit, over and over…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then it hit her: she hadn't heard him play this song before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was composing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This fascinated her. How could he just come up with something so elegant like that on the spot? Even if it was just the small part right now, had he been thinking about it earlier? Maya pondered. If he had a song in mind for Ava specifically, then it was more than likely he had one for her. Maybe she'd already heard it. The thought made her feel a little guilty. What if she didn't know? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hit an extra note, the drone had finally stopped, it snapped Maya back to reality. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was staring at her, waiting for an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I like it so far," Maya said quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded and went back to playing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon enough, the melody grew into a nice piece with many interwoven parts. Complicated, yet it sounded very nice on the ears. Gentle keystrokes. It was pretty quiet, never becoming too loud or too furious. It was soothing. That's probably what Ava needed right now anyways. She needed to calm down from all this. She needed to know she was okay now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya thought it could work. Now they just had to wait for her to come down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides the general noise of the ship, the bar was oddly quiet. Maya guessed most people were asleep now. They had missed the festivities earlier. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of Ava's little feet nervously prattling down the hallway cut her hearing like a knife. She really thought she was being sneaky, looking for food while everybody was asleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya sighed. There were certainly habits that they needed to help her break. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya and Krieg both sat in silence as they waited for her. Ava froze at the step.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I normally don't care about legal drinking ages, especially since we're interplanetary right now, but don't you think you're a little young to be sneaking booze?" Maya joked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was just gonna look for something to eat…" Ava mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure. C'mon, sit down." Maya beckoned. "I'll get you something."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava wandered around for a second, unsure of where to go. Krieg had to tap the spot on the bench next to him to get her to finally come over. She did, eventually. Her eyes were fixated on the ivory keys. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is a real piano?" She asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you know how to play?" Ava questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The beginning of a laugh burst from Krieg's throat, he had to stop himself in order to not frighten her. Once he caught his breath again (he'd lost it by punching himself in the gut), he sat up straight and cracked his knuckles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do I!" He chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava waited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg paused again, right before he hit the keys.  "Calm time; it's calm time," he whispered to himself, taking a deep breath of air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Softly, he began to play the piece he'd been working on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya had heated up some leftover pizza for Ava, and was in the middle of fixing her some hot cocoa when she heard the music start up again. She'd heard it so many times now, she'd practically memorized it. She hummed along to the tune subconsciously, filling in the small parts that could use accompaniment. She had a natural knack for harmonizing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava sat listening to the piece, awestruck by the sound. Maya's voice complimented it very well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava began to smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was tiny, like she was trying to hide it, her tough kid mask was beginning to slip. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya handed her the plate of food and her cocoa, she could almost see tears welling up in Ava's eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's okay," Maya said. It was like an automatic reaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I dunno… I dunno what…" Ava mumbled through her tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This was his idea." Maya smiled. "He wanted to make you feel more comfortable around here." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava glanced up at Krieg, who was laser focused on his fingerwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wanna hear less oil dripping and more nails clacking. The sound of bells and drums and organs. The silence breeds bad thoughts; you're too fresh and unripe to be bruised." Krieg nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He wants to teach you how to play," Maya explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava looked back and forth in between the two. "Are you serious? I can touch it?" She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya laughed. "Depends on where he</span>
  <em>
    <span>'</span>
  </em>
  <span>s been that day. Maybe you should wash your hands afterwards." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg snorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can come down here any time, Ava. Get used to this place. It's gonna be really hard for you if you're not comfortable," Maya said again. Her tone was different this time, maybe she was sleepy, or she had softened up a bit after a few glasses of wine, but she was very calm. It was like night and day to how she'd been earlier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Ava said. "I think I'll have to take you up on that sometime." She smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded and sat next to them. Ava let her sit a bit closer to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a while, Ava seemed to have completely melted to Krieg's side. She was dead asleep, mouth agape and drooling a bit. Krieg wasn't bothered at all by it. Maya wasn't sure if she was surprised or not. He didn't like to be so close to most people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg gave Maya a look, the same look he'd given her when they had first met Tina all those years ago. The, </span>
  <em>
    <span>"I'm not sleeping tonight and you know why,"</span>
  </em>
  <span> kind if look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cupped the back of Ava's head in his hand for a moment, ruffling her hair. He picked her up, and took her back to their room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg not sleeping meant Maya not sleeping, naturally. They'd been sharing the lower bunk so far, and Krieg had just tucked Ava in instead. He knelt down at her bedside, a tender look in his eyes as he watched her sleep. He was mumbling something too quiet for Maya to hear. It was rhythmic though. He normally didn't speak like that. In such a gentle voice, too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Maya asked. He'd taken her down here with no problem. She didn't even move; completely limp, like a ragdoll. Maya had never seen somebody carry a child with such ease, especially not at that age. She wasn't exactly a little baby. Could be, compared to Krieg though. She was small enough to fit in one of his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg looked up at her and shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I just miss it," He whispered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "Miss what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Softness." Krieg turned his head to the side. "That leaf had been cut already. I'm sorry," he murmured. "I forget."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It stuck with Maya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He'd never really confused her until now.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Sidetracked</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>"Hey, Maya, it's been like ages since I've heard anything from you. How's it going with Promethea? Congrats on the baby, I think. Sorry if that's not right, rumors spread like a game of telephone out here!" </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gaige laughs, the audio is pretty cloudy, static crackled in the background and Maya could hear the sound of machinery grinding and the distanced popping of gunshots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I just wanted to ask a few favors while you guys are over there kicking ass. Back a few years ago, that bitch ass Holloway family sold my DT blueprint patent to Maliwan to make freakin' slave robots. They're all over Promethea now; they're using them for everything. Police, fire fighters, baristas, garbage cleaners. I don't want my design used for that crap. I know it's a long shot, but if you can, try and see where the main point of production is and blow it up for me, okay? I want my name scorched into the ground where that factory was. Nobody uses my stuff for police work and gets away with it. Call me when you get a chance, Gaige out." </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ECHO beeped, and the message ended.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a few weeks since they had left Athenas. Promethea had been nothing but a wild goose chase so far. All of the places the twins had pinpointed had come up cold. They were getting frustrated. Maya was getting worried Atlas-Hyperion was catching on to them. They were being surprisingly passive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya had spent the past few weeks looking for Samuels, still turning up nothing. The address she had gotten was wrong. The building was the site of an air raid dropping days before they got there, and the police bots hadn't listed a Heather Samuels living there in four years. It was nothing but soot and rubble and a few torched skeletons.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Promethea was almost as bad as Pandora, maybe arguably worse. Pandora at least hadn't been the focus of active conflict in seven years. The dead were littered everywhere in the streets, and the air smelled like sulfur and gasoline. The only thing they had different was the change of scenery.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking past the conflict and mass production of the washed out capital hellscape, Promethea was a gorgeous planet, covered by vast oceans and small islands just like Athenas was, though the high acidity of the seawater paired up with the massive population meant that the islands weren't as high in altitude. Everywhere you went, it was a bustling cityscape that looked right over the water, boats glinted on the shoreline made of corrode-resistant polycryton, and the skyscrapers lit up the night sky with red and green lights.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pandora was seen as the new fashion icon there, apparently. Ads were everywhere marketing Pandoran styled smoke filtering gas masks, and the shirtless, orange cargo pants look was really in with the men. Krieg fit right in with the crowd.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey guys," Maya called. "I have a mission for you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Vault Hunters all looked up from their meals; they'd gone out to a cafe to discuss things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Friend of mine is asking if we'd blow up a crime buster bot factory or two for her, think you got time for that?" She asked, scrolling through her ECHO logs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't see why not, we're not exactly in a rush," Zane said. "Could always use a little arson in me life."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moze nodded in agreement. "Anything sounds better than talking to those Atlas troops again, yeugh. And I thought your accent was bad, gramps." She said through a mouthful of noodles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zane scoffed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We still should communicate with Atlas-Hyperion. They could help us find the Vault Key pieces." Fl4k said, feeding Mr. Chew a fish stick. They had to 'negotiate' to bring him in there. Needless to say, the group was eating for free.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "We will. I've been trying to get in contact with the head of their Eridian tech department, I thought maybe if the Key piece was at the old Atlas facility at one point, they should know where it is now…  it's been a total bitch to get through though. They've really been cracking down on this E-Tech counterfeit stuff lately, huh."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I just don't see why there has to be a war about it though." Ava came down to their table, holding a tray of food. She had new clothes, new headset, and a new ECHO 3. Krieg had spoiled her as soon as he got the chance to. She'd started to feel more at home on the S3, the music lessons helped with that. Krieg had said she was a quick learner. Maya was surprised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava smiled as she sat down, it was a natural occurrence now, she'd gotten to be a little cocky. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't know they had smoothies here." Moze looked over to Ava's plate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is gonna be the first time I've ever had drakefruit! I'm kinda scared." Ava giggled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Scared of a little fruit?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I dunno, what if it's spicy?" Ava shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"More for me then!" Moze laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ava took a sip of her drink and her eyes widened. "Hey, that's not half bad," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "I always thought drakefruit had no flavor. Maybe our taste buds are just different," she said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe you just got bad taste!" Ava snickered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, I'll let you guys go for it then. Ava and I are gonna head back up to the ship." Maya checked the time. "You're late for piano lessons." She tapped Ava's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, sis, you're not coming?" Amara asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shook her head. "I've got to make calls, plus the twins are having such a fit about everything. You've got it. I'll pay." Maya smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vault hunters nodded and went back to their food. Ava quickly stuffed her face full of food and left with Maya, taking her drink with her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They fast traveled to the lobby and Ava let out a belch as they materialized. Maya grimaced.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me," Ava laughed, running off to go to practice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg was probably already waiting for her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She went up the stairs to the navigation center, ignoring the twins and walking right up to the holo map. The parts of the Metroplex they had already searched were speckled with red dots. The old Atlas building stood out a glaring crimson against the bluish-grey light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya wondered, </span>
  <em>
    <span>where, oh where could Samuels be?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Somebody else must know. She'd gone through every single one of Samuels’ living co-workers. She couldn't think of anybody else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She zoomed in closer to the Meridian Metroplex, her eyes glancing over many different shop names, restaurants, hotels, and points of active military conflict, when her eyes settled on one name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Atlas-Hyperion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She'd have to call the Department of Eridian Tech again, what a joke. These people didn't know what they were doing, they panicked at the word 'Vault'. Maya guessed the line she'd been calling so far was really only used primarily for people snitching on E-Tech modders. They were highly illegal now especially on Promethea, it seemed to be the only thing they took seriously. Maya didn't know whether to laugh or scream in frustration.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, her main purpose, </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> main purpose for being there was ultimately Samuels. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Strongfork has to have kept some of the old staff around…" Maya mumbled to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh?" Troy picked his head up off the makeshift ping pong table he and his sister had made.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya snapped her head around. "Nothing. Just talking to myself," she smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh great, you're crazy too now?" Tyreen snorted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya groaned. "Can you guys leave for a sec? I have an important call to make." Maya crossed her arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nah, we heard. You wanna call up Atlas-Hyperion again? Maybe try going to a different department." Troy suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We were thinking like…" Tyreen nodded along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Military defense?" They both said in unison.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you think I'm gonna say then?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's up to you, captain." Tyreen snickered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe, like, threaten them or something! Oh, I know, do that thought locking thing again, make them freak out and spill the goods!" Troy snapped his fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shook her head. "No, I'm not antagonizing anybody else this trip! You two really need to think more about how you communicate with people. Sometimes being a pain in the ass doesn't work." She frowned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> "Hey, we're just throwing out options here. Not like you've come up with anything useful," Troy retorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're wasting time. The Eden party probably already has their Vault open, and we only have the one Key fragment!" Tyreen snapped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So? It's not a competition. You two both need to calm down about this. We're making progress, at least. Besides, we have one piece of the Key, and the map of where the Vault is. Nobody could come close to opening it without that, even if they did somehow manage to get the other two pieces," Maya stated, firmly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not a good idea to wait on this, I'm telling you." Tyreen narrowed her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya turned back around. "Whatever, I can deal with background noise anyways. Leave or stay, I don't care. Just shut up for a while." Maya scoffed. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Brats." </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm being dead serious!" Tyreen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mhm." Maya waved her out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tyreen grabbed Troy by the shoulder and stormed out of the room, whispering under her breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Finally," Maya sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She thought for a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe they had a small point. Maybe Eridian tech wasn't the way to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She needed people who knew the old Atlas HQ well enough to know what happened during renovations.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She dialed up a different number and waited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, she had moved through enough people and waited on hold long enough to finally get in contact with somebody who'd listen. Her status certainly helped, Rhys Strongfork knew better than to keep such a high ranking member of the Crimson Raiders on hold for too long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had only been an hour or two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man looked like he'd just gotten out of the shower. His hair was wet, and his cybernetic arm was covered with a plastic bag. He tugged on his robe a bit, making sure his tank top wasn't too visible underneath. He took a long swig of his coffee before facing the scanner and taking a deep breath. He wiped his mouth and cleared his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey there, sorry you, uh, caught me at an awkward time. Hope it's not too uncomfortable." He laughed nervously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was shifty, nervous looking. Maya stared at him for a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, no it's fine. You're Mr. Strongfork, I assume?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded. "You uh… you can call me Rhys, Miss— I mean Captain! Captain Maya… yeah." He smiled. "Heard tons about you!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. So he did know who she was. That explained the nervousness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'd like to discuss with you about a piece of Eridian technology our systems pinged in the old Atlas building a while ago. My team went to check it out, but the places we were allowed to go turned up cold, otherwise we weren't permitted outside of your mens' watch. Do you happen to know about any strange Eridian fragments coming out of anywhere your men have been stationed? I know you're familiar with Eridian tech," Maya explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rhys blinked. "Awh man, y'know I was kinda hoping this was more about an alliance than, like, business related. Hmm…" he rubbed his chin. "Tell me again what you guys need to be nosing around my men for exactly? E-Tech is strictly off limits. You of all people should know that, right? What kind of artifact are you looking for exactly, and why?" He questioned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that the Crimson Raiders have four of all six Sirens in the universe working for them right now, right? This artifact is simply a means of research."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's a Vault Key piece, isn't it." Rhys smiled and nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya was taken aback.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wh— how did?" She mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm kind of busy at the moment, actually. I'd help you guys out, I really would, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>ugh</span>
  </em>
  <span> there's like, this war going on! And people are dying and stuff, and I gotta be there for my guys first and all that. I also don't see you jumping on the idea to help me, so… sorry! Maybe next time." Rhys shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait! So you know where the piece is?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah, actually. I know where both of them are." Rhys smirked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya waited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're not gonna ask wh—" Rhys blinked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya shook her head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let's negotiate this," Maya said. "We need those pieces. We can give you a chunk of whatever valuables we find, just name a percentage."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rhys shook his head. "I'm done with all that Vault stuff. I'll help you guys out if you help me out. Listen, you seem like a reasonable lady. We've both seen Vaults, you're way more experienced in it than I am, yeah, but still. Between you and me, I heard about what you did on Athenas. I'm losing this war, and bad too. My men are dying out there by the millions. Maliwan is unrelenting. I need you and the rest of your badass friends to back me up! Please. That's all I'm asking for," Rhys said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya paused. Word had gotten out about Athenas afterall. No wonder Atlas-Hyperion was being so passive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I made a vow we wouldn't pick sides in this war," Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It can be under the table. Call it charity work. You just happen to target Maliwan troops, and we just so happen to help you along with your plans." He winked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is shady, Strongfork. What's your ulterior motive?" Maya stepped back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. "I wanna reconcile with the Crimson Raiders. Jack tore this company to shreds with what he did to you guys. I wanna help you in any way I can. But, I can't do that if you don't help me back. What does it sound like, Captain? Deal?" He smiled again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya thought to herself. This guy was strange. She remembered Gaige telling her all about how he was the one who made Helios fall all those years ago, how he had opened a Vault all by himself, how he'd fired every single employee sent to Pandora to work on slag testing at Jack's experimental camps. She remembered the large deposit Krieg had gotten from him a few years ago, compensation for the experiments he went through. The letter was computer generated, but the signature was hand written. '</span>
  <em>
    <span>Rhys Strongfork</span>
  </em>
  <span>'. She remembered it because it had made him rich overnight. Krieg didn't even know what to do with all that money.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was strange.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Deal," Maya said. "But this is secretive. If word gets out about this, you're in trouble." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rhys clapped. "Great!" He exclaimed. "Okay, I'll send my recon team down to meet you at, umm..." He bent down out of camera for a moment to write something. "The Neon Arterial in downtown Metroplex." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya blinked. "Already?" She said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rhys ndded. "Oh, yeah, they've been dying to meet you guys ever since we spotted you on Athenas! Vault Hunters, wow!" He smiled again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You've got to be kidding me." Maya put her hands up to her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The spying was certainly the same. She couldn't believe what she was doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I look forward to working with you Captain! Alright then. Call me later!" Rhys waved and signed off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya fell to her knees on the floor. He seemed nice enough, but really? Working with Hyperion? What was she thinking!?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn't feel sorry for herself now, she had to let the Vault Hunters know where to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Maya had called them up about Rhys, she went to go check up on Krieg and Ava. She was hoping they'd finish lessons early so she could get some alone time with him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey guys," Maya said, taking a seat right next to the piano. "How's it going?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Exemplary feather plucking on behalf of the squirt." Krieg patted Ava's head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My fingers hurt." Ava laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That means they're growing. You'll be able to reach the keys easier. Right, Krieg?" Maya said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I hate to cut this short, but can I talk to you, big guy? It'll be quick, I promise," Maya whispered to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg blinked, standing up attentively and going over to her. He held his index finger up to Ava to indicate he'd be gone for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once they were alone, Maya could tell Krieg knew something was off. He was waiting for her to spit it out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I did something bad," Maya blurted. "We're working with Atlas-Hyperion now. I didn't know what else to say to that guy, I know I shoulda called Lilith first, God! I'm sorry, big guy, I dunno what to do…" she nervously ran her hands through her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg stopped, grabbing her hands and rubbing his thumbs against her palms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you mad at me?" Maya asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg shook his head. "Not in a trillion years," He said. "They can't wound us more than they already have. They're scared of us now! They've come to kiss our feet and lick our salt deposits. They won't </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> to bite while our elbows are at their next. And you, beautiful creature, the most viscous flower I've ever laid eyes on… it can't bother me anymore. I've passed it. It only comes when I'm alone at night, on the very edge of uncomfortable slumber. It's not real! I remember that!" He nodded fiercely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, sweetheart," Maya said, brushing her hand against his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't pity party my tea set," He growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya nodded. "Okay. If it gets too much, tell me, okay? I might not be able to help much, but I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> help you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Krieg closed his eye for a moment, taking in Maya's touch. She knew he was appreciative of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even if she was about to subject him to reliving traumatic memories… maybe he didn't see it that way? He just knew it was a necessity before anything else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maya felt guilt and frustration bubble in her chest again. It shouldn't be that way. He shouldn't have to feel like his emotions were sidebarred. She should be looking out better for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She needed to end this goose chase. Samuels had to pay. Krieg needed to be happy. She wouldn't settle for anything less.</span>
</p>
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